With the release of these 34 people, from 11 jihadist families, there are no longer any Australians in Syrian Kurdish custody.

An AFP photographer saw women -- some fully veiled, others wearing sunglasses and surgical masks -- and children carrying luggage and boarding minibuses.

"Today, we are handing over 11 families who hold Australian nationality to their relatives, who have come from Australia to collect them," said the camp's director, Hakmieh Ibrahim.

"These families are the last Australians in the Roj camp," she added, noting that the camp still houses "2,201 people of around 50 nationalities".

Australian authorities said Monday that they were "not repatriating people from Syria".

"Our security agencies have been monitoring -- and continue to monitor -- the situation in Syria to ensure they are prepared for any Australians seeking to return to Australia."

Kurdish forces still control the Roj camp, where relatives of foreign jihadists are detained.

Syrian Kurdish forces withdrew from the larger al-Hol camp in January under military pressure from the central government's security forces, who took control of it.

Since then, thousands of women and children of foreign jihadists have fled that camp -- which housed some 24,000 people, including about 6,300 foreigners -- to unknown destinations.

The repatriation of wives of IS members has sparked controversy in Australia, where some political leaders believe they pose a threat to national security.

Conversely, other voices, notably among NGOs, have called on the government to assist the Australian citizens held in "horrific" conditions.

The humanitarian organisation Save the Children Australia (STCA) filed a lawsuit in 2023 on behalf of 11 women and 20 children, seeking their repatriation.