Australian Families Stuck in Syria Amid Repatriation Block

0:00It's April 30th. This is Global News Today, powered by AI bringing you what matters globally. 13 Australian women and children from four families just tried to head home from a Syrian camp holding relatives of Islamic State suspects, but they're stuck in limbo right now. These folks left the Roche Camp near the Iraq border last Friday, aiming for Damascus to catch a flight back to Australia after about 72 hours. There. Australian officials say the group got turned back before they could reach Damascus International Airport. The families have picked up their passports through a lawyer from someone in the Kurdish led area, but without Australia's green light, they're in a holding pattern in the capital. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Alviniz made a crystal clear this week, saying his government is offering zero support or help for their return. Four Minister Penny Wong echoed that, from Beijing, stressing no assistance on repatriation at all. This isn't the first time back in February. Syrian authorities blocked a similar group of 34 Aussies from leaving.

1:02These camps popped up after Islamic State lost its turf in Syria back in 2019, and lately, with shifts in control and camp closures like, Owl Hole, things have gotten even messier for detainees. Syrian info ministry folks are calling for international coordination to sort this out, leaving these families waiting in Damascus while the politics. Lay out across borders.