SYDNEY: Two Australian women with links to Daesh terrorists and their four children have smuggled themselves out of Syria and returned home, with Canberra saying on Friday it was “monitoring” their situation.
The so-called “Daesh brides” and their children left Syria and were detained in neighboring Lebanon as they did not have valid travel documents, but were given Australian passports by Canberra’s agencies.
An official spokesperson said the government “is not providing assistance and is not repatriating individuals” in Syrian camps holding people suspected of ties to Daesh members.
“Our agencies have been monitoring these individuals for some time,” they added. “If any of those people find their own way to return, our security agencies are satisfied that they are prepared and will be able to act in the interests of community safety.”
In 2023, an Australian woman rescued from a squalid Syrian detention camp faced court on charges linked to her former husband’s role within Daesh.
Mariam Raad was repatriated in October the previous year as part of a humanitarian mission to free Australian women and children from Al-Hol and Roj camps. The women were in most cases the wives of Daesh fighters, who said they were forced or tricked into following their husbands to Syria.
Human Rights Watch has praised the government for rescuing Australians from “horrific” conditions.
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Australian ‘Daesh brides’ smuggle themselves out of Syria
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Australian ‘Daesh brides’ smuggle themselves out of Syria
- Group with no papers was detained in Lebanon during journey home
- Canberra ‘monitoring’ their situation
Somaliland’s Israel deal could put Berbera port at risk
BERBERA: Somaliland says its recognition by Israel could be a boon for its Berbera port. But with missiles flying across the region, it could also be a target.
Berbera port on the Gulf of Aden has been transformed by the United Arab Emirates firm DP World over the past decade into a state-of-the-art facility on one of the world’s busiest trade routes.
Berbera still handles far fewer containers than nearby Djibouti or Mombasa, but port traffic was up 30 percent from 2023 to 2025, and recent diplomatic moves could lead to much more.
A deal under negotiation with Ethiopia, a landlocked neighbor with more than 130 million inhabitants, could see traffic rise by another 80 percent, said port authority director Ali Diriye Ahmed.
Ethiopia did not respond to queries on the subject.
And Israel’s recent decision to recognize Somaliland’s independence — the first country to do so since it declared autonomy from Somalia in 1991 — promises a “tremendous increase,” said Ahmed, already envisioning an expansion of the port.
But an alliance with Israel also brings risks, particularly as the US-Israeli attacks on Iran this weekend increase the threat of regional war.
Abdel Malek Al-Houthi, leader of the Houthi group in Yemen, had already warned that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be considered a “military target.”
“We really don’t know what is going on there. Sometimes there are 20 planes coming in a week,” said a DP World employee, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“There is a widespread assumption that there is an Israeli military or security presence that is already in the country,” a Western diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity, though any military cooperation will remain secretive.
If their presence was confirmed at the Emirati base, it could leave the port vulnerable to Houthi or Iranian missiles.
There is also a more local threat from Al-Shabab, the Somali affiliate of Al-Qaeda, that has said it will oppose any attempt by Israel to use Somaliland.
Somaliland authorities “only saw the recognition, without thinking about the future,” fears Roland Marchal, a regional specialist based at France’s Sciences Po university.
’Contribute to peace’
Hargeisa initially denied any negotiations regarding an Israeli military base on its soil, only to recently indicate that “nothing is off the table.”
“We are not partnering with Israel to be against anyone,” said Khadar Hussein Abdi, Somaliland’s minister of the presidency and adviser to President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi.
Somaliland “wants to contribute to peace in the region,” he told AFP.
In Berbera, a peaceful but little-developed city of 70,000, the atmosphere remains optimistic.
Its mayor, Abdishakur Mohamoud Hassan, said population numbers and tax revenues had soared since DP World took control of the port, allowing for free primary schools and new health clinics.
With Israel’s recognition, “we expect this city to develop similarly to Dubai,” he said with a smile, adding that he was “not afraid” of attacks by Israel’s enemies.
“If a country like Ukraine has been resisting Russia for years, we too will not be intimidated by the Houthis,” he said.
Berbera port on the Gulf of Aden has been transformed by the United Arab Emirates firm DP World over the past decade into a state-of-the-art facility on one of the world’s busiest trade routes.
Berbera still handles far fewer containers than nearby Djibouti or Mombasa, but port traffic was up 30 percent from 2023 to 2025, and recent diplomatic moves could lead to much more.
A deal under negotiation with Ethiopia, a landlocked neighbor with more than 130 million inhabitants, could see traffic rise by another 80 percent, said port authority director Ali Diriye Ahmed.
Ethiopia did not respond to queries on the subject.
And Israel’s recent decision to recognize Somaliland’s independence — the first country to do so since it declared autonomy from Somalia in 1991 — promises a “tremendous increase,” said Ahmed, already envisioning an expansion of the port.
But an alliance with Israel also brings risks, particularly as the US-Israeli attacks on Iran this weekend increase the threat of regional war.
Abdel Malek Al-Houthi, leader of the Houthi group in Yemen, had already warned that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be considered a “military target.”
“We really don’t know what is going on there. Sometimes there are 20 planes coming in a week,” said a DP World employee, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“There is a widespread assumption that there is an Israeli military or security presence that is already in the country,” a Western diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity, though any military cooperation will remain secretive.
If their presence was confirmed at the Emirati base, it could leave the port vulnerable to Houthi or Iranian missiles.
There is also a more local threat from Al-Shabab, the Somali affiliate of Al-Qaeda, that has said it will oppose any attempt by Israel to use Somaliland.
Somaliland authorities “only saw the recognition, without thinking about the future,” fears Roland Marchal, a regional specialist based at France’s Sciences Po university.
’Contribute to peace’
Hargeisa initially denied any negotiations regarding an Israeli military base on its soil, only to recently indicate that “nothing is off the table.”
“We are not partnering with Israel to be against anyone,” said Khadar Hussein Abdi, Somaliland’s minister of the presidency and adviser to President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi.
Somaliland “wants to contribute to peace in the region,” he told AFP.
In Berbera, a peaceful but little-developed city of 70,000, the atmosphere remains optimistic.
Its mayor, Abdishakur Mohamoud Hassan, said population numbers and tax revenues had soared since DP World took control of the port, allowing for free primary schools and new health clinics.
With Israel’s recognition, “we expect this city to develop similarly to Dubai,” he said with a smile, adding that he was “not afraid” of attacks by Israel’s enemies.
“If a country like Ukraine has been resisting Russia for years, we too will not be intimidated by the Houthis,” he said.
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