A group of 34 Australian women and children attempting to leave Syria’s Roj camp for repatriation were turned back on Monday after Syrian authorities said their travel procedures were incomplete.

The families, from 11 households, had planned to travel from the camp near the Iraq border to Damascus and then fly to Australia, accompanied by relatives who had traveled from home.

Roj camp, controlled by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, houses roughly 2,200 people with alleged IS ties, mostly women and children, many of whom are effectively detained despite not being formally charged.

Previous repatriations included 16 families last year from Germany, Britain, and France, and three Australian families in 2022, the AP has reported.

The failed return comes amid broader changes in northeastern Syria, including Syrian government control of al-Hol camp and U.S.-led transfers of accused IS militants to Iraq for trial.