ISIS brides beg to be released into the community after being locked up on arrival in Australia

Published: 23:27, 10 May 2026 | Updated: 23:38, 10 May 2026 Two Islamic State-linked women arrested and charged with slavery offences hours after returning from a Syrian refugee camp are seeking release into the community. Kawsar Ahmad, 53, and Zeinab Ahmad, 31, will make an application for bail on Monday in Melbourne Magistrates Court following a brief court appearance on Friday, when they were remanded in custody. The duo were among a larger group of women and children who returned to Australia on Thursday amid chaotic airport scenes after languishing in a Syrian refugee camp for years. They have both been charged with several crimes against humanity and slavery offences allegedly committed in Syria. Detectives allege Kawsar Ahmad, also known as Abbas, travelled to the region with her husband and children in 2014. Police allege she was complicit in buying a female slave for $US10,000 and knowingly kept the woman in her home. She has been charged with enslavement, possessing a slave, using a slave and slave trading. Charge sheets released by the court allege the 53-year-old enslaved, possessed and used the slave in Mayadin, Hajin, Gharanji, Bahra, Abu Hamam, Walaa and other places in the Deir ez-Zu province of Syria between June 2017 and November 2018. Kawsar Ahmad, also known as Abbas, and Zeinab Ahmad will apply for bail on slavery charges It is alleged the younger Ahmad had also knowingly kept a female slave in her Syrian home, with police charging her with enslavement and using a slave offence over the same period. The document stated the pair's conduct was "committed intentionally or knowingly as part of a widespread or systemic attack directed against a civil population". Police said the pair were detained by Kurdish forces in 2019 and held with other family members in the Al Roj Internally Displaced Persons camp. They are among three returnees charged following an almost decade-long investigation, which began after the women travelled to the Middle East with their partners, who allegedly intended to fight for Islamic State. A third woman, 32-year-old Janai Safar, who flew into Sydney, was arrested and charged with entering a prohibited area and being a member of a terrorist organisation. She was denied bail due to the seriousness of the charges and will return before the court in July. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.