The 34-year-old traveled to Syria between 2013 and 2014 with others, including a man, to allegedly join the Islamic State, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said in a statement.Follow us on GoogleMembers of Australian families believed to be linked to the Islamic State militants wait to leave Roj camp near Derik, Syria April 24, 2026.(photo credit: REUTERS/ORHAN QEREMAN/FILE PHOTO)ByREUTERSMAY 28, 2026 09:16Updated: MAY 28, 2026 09:19An Australian woman who returned home in September from a Syrian refugee camp has been charged with allegedly joining the Islamic State and entering and remaining in a declared conflict zone, authorities said on Thursday.The 34-year-old traveled to Syria between 2013 and 2014 with others, including a man, to allegedly join the Islamic State, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said in a statement.The man is believed to be in a prison in the Middle East, the AFP added.The woman is expected to appear in a Melbourne court on Thursday. Both offenses carry a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison.Kurdish forces detained the woman in March 2019, and she was held with family members in the Al-Hawl refugee camp. Police said she returned to Australia from Lebanon with another woman, 36, and that investigations into both women were ongoing.A group of supporters surround an Islamic State-linked family, as they arrive at Melbourne international airport, in Melbourne, Australia, May 7, 2026. 13 women and children are set to return to Australia after years spent in a Syrian refugee camp following the fall of Islamic State. (credit: AAP/Joel Carrett via REUTERS)"It is important to note that a period of time without charges being laid is not an indicator that investigations have ceased," AFP Deputy Commissioner of National Security Investigations Hilda Sirec said.Two women charged with slavery-related offenses, a third with terror"Investigations are continuing into all the recent adult female returnees from Syrian camps."The charges follow the return earlier this month of two women charged with slavery-related offenses and a third with terror offenses, including allegedly joining the Islamic State. A second group of Australian women and children arrived on Tuesday from a Syrian camp with no charges laid on arrival.The return of both groups has drawn criticism from political opponents, who say the center-left government failed to stop their travel to Australia. The government says it did not assist their travel and that there are "very serious limits" on preventing citizens from re-entering the country.Between 2012 and 2016, some Australian women traveled to Syria to join their husbands, who were allegedly members of the Islamic State. Following the collapse of the caliphate in 2019, many were detained in camps.Follow us on Google