Australian Families Stuck in Syria After Return Attempt

0:00It's April 29th. Welcome to Canada News Today, powered by AI. 13 Australian women and children from four families tried to head home after leaving Roche Camp in Syria last Friday. That camp holds relatives of folks linked to Islamic State militants. They made it to Damascus, but got blocked from the international airport. Syrian officials expected them to stay in the capital just 72 hours before flying to Australia. Instead, the families are stuck there now, with passports they got through a lawyer in the Kurdish-led area. Serious information ministry says it needs coordination from international parties to sort this out. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albinese made it clear Wednesday no support or help for their return. A previous try in February, with 34 others, got turned back by Syrian authorities too. Meanwhile, 11 Australian doctor named Jamal Riffi has been coordinating efforts like this. These camps popped up after Islamic State lost its territory in Syria back in 2019.

1:01The big alcohol camp just shut down, with thousands of suspects shipped to Iraq for trial by the U.S. military. Australia has brought back some women and kids twice before, and others made it without government help. Right now, these families wait in limbo amid all the regional shifts, by recent clashes that let some detainees slip away. It's a tough spot highlighting the ongoing mess from those militant networks.