Women and children rescued from Syrian camps can be safely integrated back into Australian society, Save the Children says.
Four Australian women and 13 children held in Syria since the fall of Islamic State have been taken from the al-Roj camp to Erbil in Iraq to begin their trip to Sydney.
Earlier this month, the Albanese government confirmed a rescue plan to bring home 16 women and 42 children who are families of IS members.
The first people removed were assessed as the most vulnerable of those held.
The federal government worked with Kurdish authorities on the extraction, which reportedly included DNA testing the individuals to prove they’re Australian citizens.
Most of the children were born in Syria, meaning they’ll be heading to Australia for the first time.
Germany, France and Denmark have also brought their citizens home from Syria.
Save the Children CEO Mat Tinkler said the children had been given hope.
“We look forward to welcoming them home,” he said.
“We highly commend the Australian government for following through on its promise to repatriate these innocent children and their mothers.
“They have given these children hope for their futures and rightly backed the robustness of Australia’s national security, judicial and resettlement systems to support their safe integration into Australian society.”
He said there were still more than 30 Australian children stuck in the camps in northeast Syria and urged the government to repatriate them as quickly as possible.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil refused to comment, citing sensitivity issues.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton warned the extractions were not in the national interest, claiming the rescues could inflame the risk of terrorism in Australia.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the safety of Australians was always paramount and the government would continue to act on national security advice.
“We will always act in a way that keeps Australians safe.”
Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo declined to comment on the repatriation or confirm it was occurring.
But a Senate estimates committee was told the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet was looking at whether media reporting of the rescue breached national security.
“Given the seriousness of the potential harm to national security … we were involved in discussions about the referral,” Mr Pezzullo said.
“Operational secrecy is to be preserved at all times.”
Mr Pezzullo confirmed there were still Australian women and children in Syrian camps and that ASIO and other agencies kept “constantly under review” the ability to physically access the camps.
– AAP
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