Dozens of Australian ISIL relatives freed from Syria’s Roj camp

Families of 34 Australians are set to depart from Damascus, Kurdish authorities say.Published On 16 Feb 2026Kurdish authorities in Syria have released 34 Australian relatives of ISIL (ISIS) fighters who had been held in a camp in northern Syria, saying they would be flown to Australia from Damascus.A director of ⁠the Roj camp said on Monday that Australian citizens had been handed over to members of their families who had come to Syria for the release.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Syrian government takes over prison with ISIL-linked detainees in Raqqalist 2 of 3What will it take for Syrians to return to Aleppo after years of war?list 3 of 3French ISIL suspects transferred from Syria allege torture in Iraqi prisonsend of list“Today, we are handing over 11 families who hold Australian nationality to their relatives,” Hakmieh Ibrahim told the AFP news agency.“These families are the last Australians in the Roj camp,” she added. Ibrahim revealed that 2,201 people with about 50 nationalities were still residing in the camp.Family members board a van heading to the airport in Damascus [Baderkhan Ahmad/AP Photo]They were put on small buses for Damascus before their departure from the country. A military vehicle escorted the buses.Thousands of people believed to be linked to ISIL have been held at Roj and a second camp, al-Hol, since the armed group was driven from its final territorial foothold in Syria in 2019.Syrian government forces took control of al-Hol last month during fighting with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which led to state forces seizing most of the territory in northeastern Syria previously controlled by Kurdish forces.‘Safety of Australians overriding priority’The Australian government said in a statement that it will not repatriate people from Syria.“Our security agencies have been monitoring – and continue to monitor – the ⁠situation in Syria to ensure they are prepared for any Australians ⁠seeking to return to Australia.