Turkey’s ISIS prisoner deportation plan hits an Australian hurdle

No timetable has been set for the return of a group of Aus­tralians among Islamic State prisoners in Turkey’s custody.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu on Tuesday said Turkey hoped to deport as many as seven Islamic State suspects this week alone. Picture: AP

Turkey is ramping up its deporting of Islamic State prisoners in its custody with the aim of having most of them repatriated in the coming weeks, but no timetable has been set for a group of Aus­tralians among them.

It is understood that the identities of three Australian prisoners Turkey wants to send here are now known to the authorities.

The Weekend Australian on Saturday revealed that Turkey wanted the federal government’s help to facilitate deporting them, including by providing necessary travel documents.

It’s believed the citizens are male, although relatives of Australians captured in Syria do not know who is in Turkish custody.

The federal government has declined to comment, but it is understood Turkey has been dealing with Australian diplomats in Ankara about the issue.

Little progress has been made.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu on Tuesday said Turkey hoped to deport as many as seven Islamic State suspects this week alone, including to Ireland and France.

This was on top of its expulsion of 10 Germans, a US citizen and a Briton last week, and two Dutch women — deported with two children — who were arrested when they landed in Amsterdam on Tuesday night.

“The number of detainees to be repatriated by the year’s end depends on how long the processes take, but especially for Europe, the process is under way,” Mr Soylu told Reuters.

“I think we will have sent a large part of them to their countries by the end of the year.”

Most of the Australians captured in Syria were women and children, who have been trapped inside the al-Hawl refugee camp south of Turkish positions in the region.

On Saturday, it emerged that US officials had offered to help Australia repatriate them, but the federal government had not taken up that offer.

Asked about the offer, Scott Morrison this week said: “Our ­assessment is done on a case-by-case basis, and our assessments at this point have not changed.”