The latest reason Australia won’t take back citizens detained in Syria’s prisons for IS? Coronavirus
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne says COVID-19 has further complicated the possibilities of repatriating Australians captured during the war against the Islamic State in Syria.
Australia’s foreign minister said Tuesday that the global coronavirus pandemic is part of the reason her government will still not repatriate dozens of Islamic State suspects with Australian citizenship who are detained in Syria.
“We will not put Australian lives at risk to try … to extract people,” Foreign Minister Marise Payne said during a press conference alongside US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Australian Defense Minister Linda Reynolds at the US State Department in Washington.
“It’s important to note that Australia has repatriated some orphans from Syria, but these are very complex challenges,” Payne said.
“COVID-19 has further complicated this picture extensively. … Movement in Syria and in the region is now more complex than ever,” she said.
