Michael is joined Dr Rodger Shanahan, Non-resident fellow at the Lowy Institute who served in Afghanistan, for his thoughts on the years-long debate about what to do with Australia’s cohort of female Islamic State supporters & their children.

“Most Australian women who travelled to Syria as part of the failed Islamic State project will eventually return. Others won’t. Some were killed in airstrikes, one allegedly died from medical complications, while others whose Australian citizenship was ceased may never return, unless it is to face trial”, writes Mr Shanahan.

“Their situation doesn’t elicit much sympathy in Australia, given they travelled thousands of kilometres to join an organisation willing to kill and subjugate others based on their religious identity, and to conduct attacks against their own country.”

“As unsympathetic as they are, they nevertheless need to be brought back to this country.”

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