‘ISIS brides’ and the Aussie kids stuck in Syria

Today, Greens senator David Shoebridge on the Australian children trapped in Syrian camps – and the politics of the so-called “ISIS brides”.

Oct 16, 2025, updated Oct 16, 2025

In a desert camp in north-east Syria, behind razor wire, with thousands of other people, live 12 Australian women and 25 Australian children. They are the wives and children of men who went to Syria to join ISIS.

With Australia unwilling to help bring them home, they’re living in danger – and in limbo.

The recent arrival of two women and four children, who smuggled themselves out of a Syrian camp and found their way back to Australia, has sparked fresh debate over the Australian government’s obligations – to Syria, to Australians worried about a security threat, and to these women and children, who are Australian citizens.

Today, Greens senator David Shoebridge on the Australian children trapped in Syrian camps – and the politics of the so-called “ISIS brides”.

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