34 Australians released from Syrian IS camp returned over technical reasons

Hukmiya Mohamed, a co-director of Roj camp, told Reuters that the 34 Australians had been handed to members of their families who had come to Syria for the release. They were put on small buses for Damascus ahead of their departure from the country with a military escort.

Thirty-four Australians from 11 families linked to detainees in northeast Syria briefly left the Roj camp on Monday in what appeared to be the start of a long-awaited exit from the detention facility — only to return hours later after a technical glitch in the transfer process.

The group were released from the camp and escorted toward Damascus for their departure from Syria. But the convoy turned back soon after setting off due to technical issues with arrangements involving Syrian authorities.

"It’s purely a procedural issue to be resolved today," a Syrian official told Reuters, adding that the families were expected to resume the journey later.

Camp officials said the Australians had been handed over to accompanying relatives who travelled from abroad to facilitate the transfer. They were placed on buses under military escort for the journey before returning to the camp after the disruption.

Kurdish-led authorities have at times arranged releases in coordination with foreign governments, but many countries are still reluctant to take back their citizens over security concerns. Australia has said it will not actively repatriate nationals 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," the Australian government said in a statement.