Thirteen Australian women and children linked to ISIS have reportedly been blocked from leaving Syria again, with the Syrian Foreign Ministry blaming the Australian government, saying it had “refused to receive them”.

The ministry said the group was turned back before reaching Damascus International Airport to make their way back to Australia.

Earlier this year, a larger group of women and children attempted to leave their detention camps in Kurdish-controlled northern Syria to make their way to Australia, but they, too, were turned back by Syrian authorities.

At a press conference on Thursday, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke reiterated the government’s stance that returning women who broke the law would face arrest. He added they may be “weighing up whether they want to come back to Australia ever”.

This comes after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said earlier this week Australia would provide “no support for repatriation and no assistance for these people”.

This is not an isolated development. Australia now appears to be moving towards an approach where repatriation is not formally undertaken, nor is it fully prevented.

At first glance, this latest case may appear to resemble an “independent return”. This means the women and........

© The Conversation