Australia repatriates Australian women and children from Syrian refugee camp

The Australian government has repatriated four Australian women and their 13 children from a Syrian refugee camp, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said on Saturday in a resumption of a controversial programme.

The repatriation to New South Wales state, criticised by the Liberal-National opposition, is part of bringing back from Syria dozens of Australian women and children who are relatives of dead or jailed fighters from the so-called Islamic State group.

Australia rescued eight children and grandchildren of two dead Islamic State fighters from a Syrian refugee camp in 2019 but has held off repatriating any others until now.

"The decision to repatriate these women and their children was informed by individual assessments following detailed work by national security agencies," O'Neil said in a statement.