IS kids coming home

We can’t punish children for parents’ crimes, says Morrison

THE children of two Islamic State fighters including the infamous Khaled Sharrouf are returning to Australia from conflict-ridden Syria, where they have spent months orphaned in refugee camps.

Heavily pregnant 17-yearold Zaynab is one of eight children from the two families who are homeward bound after a rescue mission by the Australian Government.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday said the children should not be punished for the crimes of their parents.

“That you would take a child and put them in a conflict zone like this is despicable and I find it disgusting,” he told reporters in Perth.

Sharrouf’s returning children include son Humzeh, eight, daughter Hoda, 16, and Zaynab and her two daughters.

The others are three children aged six to 12, who are the offspring of IS fighter Yasin Rizvic and his wife, Fauzia Khamal Bacha.

Mr Morrison said the group would be supported by the Australian Government.

“They’ve got off to a horrible start in life as a result of the appalling decisions of their parents,” he said. “They’ll find their home in Australia and I’m sure they will be embraced by Australians and as a result of that embrace, I’m sure they’ll live positive and happy lives.”

Save the Children spokesman Mat Tinkler said the children had been taken to a secure location outside Syria and would undergo security clearances before reaching Australia.

He urged the community to give the children the benefit of the doubt and to “wrap them with love and support”.

“These children have been through hell,” Mr Tinkler said.

“There’s no doubt that the journey to recovery for them will be a long one. But children are also remarkably resilient.”

The Sharrouf children came to prominence when their father released a photograph of elder son, Abdullah, now dead, holding the severed head of a Syrian man.