CANBERRA, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Australia's defence minister has declared that she would not risk lives to bring Australian women and children left behind by Islamic State home from the Middle East.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald report on Tuesday night, Defence Minister Linda Reynolds responded to U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that troops will be withdrawn from northern Syria. She played down the prospect of action to help the families of former foreign fighters in northern Syria, where 20 Australian women and 46 children could be caught in fighting.
"So any consideration of action by the Australian government will of course have to take into consideration the lives of anyone else we might send into the region and of course we will not jeopardise the lives of any other Australians," Reynolds said.
"It is a very difficult situation. It is a very dangerous area and we will not be endangering the lives of other Australians. It is that simple."
