Liberal senator breaks with party to urge ‘mercy for the children’ of IS-linked Australian women in Syria

The Guardian World

by Dan Jervis-Bardy Chief political correspondent

March 4, 2026

Backbencher Andrew McLachlan describes the 23 children as ‘innocents’ victimised by their parents’ ‘tragic attraction to a horrible ideology’ Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A Liberal senator has called for “mercy” for the 23 Australian children detained in a Syrian camp, as he warned that leaving the group to languish in detention risked making the situation worse for them and the Australian community in the future. After the opposition leader, Angus Taylor, this week suggested the children held in al-Roj camp were “Isis sympathisers”, the backbencher Andrew McLachlan again broke from party lines to appeal for compassion and a resolution to their ongoing plight. Continue reading...

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Originally published on The Guardian World on 3/4/2026