Thirty-four Australian women and children held for years in Roj camp, northeast Syria, have been released ahead of expected repatriation. The camp, near the Iraq border, houses wives, widows, and children of dead or jailed Islamic State fighters. Administrators said 11 Australian families were to leave for Damascus before repatriation to Australia. Video shows them packing quietly, avoiding cameras. However, reports say Syrian authorities stopped and turned the group back, blocking their travel to Damascus. All members are Australian citizens with the right to return. Yet, their immediate exit from Syria remains unclear. Most have been detained since 2019 in tough conditions. Some children were born there and never left. The Australian government confirmed it is not organizing or helping their return. A government spokesperson said, "The Australian government is not and will not repatriate people from Syria." They added officials continue monitoring the situation and warned any returnees might face charges. "People in this cohort need to know that if they have committed a crime and if they return to Australia they will be met with the full force of the law." Conditions in Roj camp are dire. Overcrowded tents suffer from outbreaks of dysentery and influenza. Heating fuel runs low. Fires in tents happen regularly. Human Rights Watch called the conditions "inhuman, degrading, and life-threatening." No Australian detainees have been charged yet. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces run Roj camp with US funding. The US describes these camps as "incubators for radicalisation" and urges all countries to repatriate their citizens to prevent risks. Australia previously repatriated some children in 2019 and a small group in 2022 but has no current plan for the remaining detainees. Some escaped detainees have returned independently, even receiving Australian passports abroad. This release aligns with a wider emptying of camps in northeast Syria, where many residents have been moved or returned home. The Syrian government, which recently took control of some camps, favors closing them. This shift has sped up repatriations and transfers amid ongoing security concerns. With tens of thousands of suspected IS fighters and families held in Syrian camps, the fate of the Australians remains a pressing issue amid complex diplomatic and security challenges.