BEIRUT: Australia has ruled out retrieving dozens of Australian women and children from refugee camps during the cease-fire in Syria.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said Friday the situation remained too dangerous to send Australian troops or officials into the war-torn nation.
Dutton says he is hopeful the cease-fire will lead to lasting peace.
About 46 Australian women and children who fled Islamic State-held territory are being held at the al-Hawl refugee camp in northern Syria.
Eight Australian offspring of two slain Islamic State group fighters were removed from Syria in June, Australia’s only organized repatriation from the conflict zone.
Turkey’s president has responded to a tweet by Donald Trump in which the U.S. leader says a Turkish-U.S. cease-fire deal will save millions of lives.
In his response, Recep Tayyip Erdogan tweeted Thursday: “Mr. President, many more lives will be saved when we defeat terrorism, which is humanity’s arch-enemy.”
