13 Australian Women and Children Leave Syrian IS Camp

Four Australian families, consisting of 13 women and children with alleged ties to Islamic State militants, departed a detention camp in northeast Syria on Friday in a renewed effort to return home, according to camp officials.

The group left Roj camp, a remote facility near the Iraq border that holds family members of suspected Islamic State fighters, aboard a bus escorted by Syrian government officials. The departure was coordinated with authorities in Damascus, the Syrian capital, said Lana Hussein, an official with the Women's Protection Units, a component of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces that oversees camp security. "They will be deported under security procedures" after remaining in Damascus for about 72 hours, Hussein added.

It remained unclear whether Australian officials were involved in the arrangements. Representatives from Australia's government and Syria's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to inquiries. The families planned to fly out from Damascus, outside the Kurdish-controlled area where Roj is located.

This marks the second such attempt this year. In February, Syrian authorities turned back a larger group of 34 Australian women and children...