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  • 6 hours ago
Another group of Australian women and children have left a camp for families of jailed and killed Islamic state fighters in north-eastern Syria. The group is trying to begin the journey home after years in detention.

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00:01In recent days there's been frenzied speculation about when this group of Australians would launch their bid for freedom.
00:08Much of that has been because of behind the scenes wrangling between Syrian government officials keen to see foreign nationals
00:16who are in these camps for the families of former Islamic State fighters
00:21and the Kurdish officials still in control of Al-Raj camp and the area around it finding their power and
00:29influence in Syria dwindling by the day.
00:32On Thursday afternoon local time the bus carrying the women and children left Al-Raj and began the long journey
00:37to the Syrian capital Damascus.
00:39You can see in this vision the convoy the bus is travelling in, those utes and SUVs, that's the Syrian
00:45government escort travelling with the Australians.
00:48It's been just over a fortnight since the first group of four Australian women and nine children boarded flights bound
00:54for Australia weeks after leaving Al-Raj.
00:58Three of the women were arrested on arrival the moment they set foot on Australian soil, charged by the Australian
01:04Federal Police.
01:04Two in Melbourne accused of slavery offences, one in Sydney charged with joining a terrorist organisation and travelling to a
01:11declared terrorist area.
01:13Their departure left seven women and 14 children in the camp.
01:17It's believed all have now left Al-Raj although that hasn't been confirmed by camp officials refusing to speak to
01:24the media given the sensitivity of this situation.
01:27The exact timing of this group's onward travel from Damascus to Australia remains unclear.
01:32They all have passports and there's only a barrier for one of them to make that journey.
01:37A temporary exclusion order issued by the Australian government against one of the women banning travel for up to two
01:44years on national security grounds.
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