Syrian refugees: Australian women and children brought back from Syrian refugee camp

Australia's Home Affairs Minister Claire O'Neill announced on Saturday that four Australian women and their 13 children had been repatriated from a Syrian refugee camp. The repatriation of dozens of Australian women and children from the so-called Islamic State group to the state of New South Wales, relatives of dead or imprisoned fighters, was criticized by liberal-national opposition.

O'Neill said in a statement, "The decision to repatriate these women and their children was informed by a personal assessment after detailed work by national security agencies."

Women and children leave the al-Roz refugee camp in northern Syria on Thursday afternoon

The Sydney Morning Herald and state broadcaster ABC reported on Friday that women and children left the al-Roz refugee camp in northern Syria on Thursday afternoon and flew to Iraq to board the flight home.

O'Neill said the move to repatriate to his home country followed similar steps by the United States, Italy, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Britain and Canada. She said investigations into allegations of illegal activity by state and federal law enforcement officials would continue.

Opposition called it a wrong move

Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton said the move was not in the best interest of the country, saying women 'mixed up with people who hated our country, hated our way of life'.

People's safety our priority - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters on the matter that he would not discuss the details of the group's case, but said he was following national security advice. 'The Australian Government will always work to ensure that people in Australia are kept safe, this is our priority.'