- New Zealand will accept a woman suspected of being connected to the Islamic State.
- Australia stripped the woman of her citizenship.
- The woman moved from Australia to Syria in 2014.
After Australia cancelled the former dual citizenship, New Zealand announced on Monday that it would accept a woman and two children associated with the Islamic State group.
The New Zealand-born woman-widely regarded as Suhayra Aden-immigrated to Australia at the age of 6 and was dual citizenship until Canberra deprived her of her citizenship last year.
Read | New Zealand slams Australian women detained in Turkey
At the time, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated that “terrorists who fought against terrorist organizations” had lost their citizenship privileges. Aden moved from Australia to Syria in 2014 and lives under the Islamic State.
The 26-year-old girl told the news agency ABC in a Syrian refugee camp in 2019 that she was married to two Swedish Islamic State fighters.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that the cancellation of her citizenship would make them stateless.
She said in a statement on Monday: “They are not Turkey’s responsibility, and Australia’s refusal to accept their families makes them our responsibility.”
Ardern, who had previously fought in Canberra for “shirking responsibility” in Canberra, said that at the request of Turkey, the woman and her child will now be sent back to New Zealand.
Although the details of the arrangements were not disclosed, the Prime Minister stated that “very cautious” measures are being taken to minimize any risks to New Zealanders.
She said: “The plans of the agencies are twofold-to ensure that all appropriate steps are taken to address potential safety issues and provide appropriate services to support reintegration into society, with special attention to the well-being of children.”
Since crossing the border from Syria in February, Aden and her children have been detained in Turkey.
After detaining the family, the Turkish Ministry of Defense identified her as a “Daesh terrorist” and stated that they were caught while trying to enter illegally.
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