Kurdish authorities in Syria have released the final 34 Australian nationals held in the Roj camp, ending their custody of relatives of Islamic State group fighters.

ROJ: Syrian Kurdish authorities have released the last 34 Australian nationals held in the Roj camp for relatives of Islamic State group jihadists.

The camp’s director, Hakmieh Ibrahim, confirmed the handover of 11 families on Monday.

“Today, we are handing over 11 families who hold Australian nationality to their relatives, who have come from Australia to collect them,” Ibrahim told AFP.

She added that “these families are the last Australians in the Roj camp.”

The facility still houses 2,201 people of around 50 other nationalities.

An AFP photographer witnessed women and children carrying luggage and boarding minibuses to leave.

Australian authorities, however, distanced themselves from the operation.

“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,” a government statement said.

It explicitly noted they were “not repatriating people from Syria.”

Kurdish forces continue to control the Roj camp.

They withdrew from the larger al-Hol camp in January under pressure from Syrian government forces.

That withdrawal led thousands of foreign women and children linked to jihadists to flee to unknown destinations.

The issue of repatriation remains deeply divisive in Australia.

Some political leaders argue returning individuals pose a security threat.

Non-governmental organisations have urged the government to assist citizens held in what they call “horrific” conditions.

Save the Children Australia filed a lawsuit in 2023 on behalf of 11 women and 20 children seeking repatriation.

 The Sun Malaysia