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Islamic State fighter's children to return to Australia

Three Australian children whose father died fighting for Islamic State are expected to be brought back to the country within months.

The children, aged eight to 12, lived with their parents in Melbourne before the family went to Syria in the early days of the conflict, The Australian reports.

Their father, identified as Yasin Rizvic by the ABC, was killed in battle and their mother died in unknown circumstances.

Yasin Rizvic at a 2012 protest in Melbourne. His children will return to Australia. Source: YouTube
Yasin Rizvic at a 2012 protest in Melbourne. Source: YouTube

The children are believed to be in a Syrian refugee camp.

They are among 70 Australians – mostly women and children – believed to be in Syrian camps.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said no Australian official would be placed in danger to remove Australian citizens from northern Syria.

"Australian officials cannot facilitate the safe passage of people out of the conflict zones,'' Mr Dutton told The Australian.

A mother and son hold hands at a Syrian refugee camp in Hasakah. Source: AAP
A mother and son at a Syrian refugee camp in Hasakah in March. Source: AAP

"When it comes to children, we will deal with each and every case on its merits, but in every single case we will be putting the security of Australians at the top of the list.”

His words echo previous comment from Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who said Australians who find their way to an Australian embassy will be assisted in returning to their nation.

International pressures are mounting for governments to return children who have survived conflicts in the Middle Eastern nation.

The children of Rizvic have no relatives in Australia, with their father hailing from Bosnia, a country their uncle is pushing for them to be resettled in, the ABC reported.

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