Albanese Says Australia Won’t Repatriate 34 ‘ISIS Brides’ and Children From Syria

‘These are people who went overseas supporting Islamic State, and went there to provide support for people who basically want a caliphate,’ said Albanese.

Australian families affiliated with ISIS walk beside a van with their belongings for departure at the Roj camp in al Malikiyah, Syria, on Feb. 15, 2026. Amjad Kurdo/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ruled out repatriating a group of 34 Australian women and children seeking to return from Syria, warning they will face criminal charges if they come back.

“My mother would have said, ‘If you make your bed, you’ll own it.' These are people who went overseas supporting Islamic State, and went there to provide support for people who basically want a caliphate,” Albanese told ABC TV on Feb. 17.