Several Australian women and children held in Syria since the fall of Islamic State have begun the journey home in a highly sensitive mission.

Held in detention since 2019, four women and 13 children were taken from the al-Roj camp to Erbil in Iraq to begin a long journey to Sydney.

They are thought to be poised to arrive in Sydney as soon as Saturday.

The group reportedly includes 31-year-old Mariam Dabboussy, 31, and her three children. Her father, Sydney man Kamalle Dabboussy, is an unofficial spokesman for Australians with families in the camps.

He has frequently expressed hope the detainees, including his daughter and grandchildren, will soon be returned safely.

“To have your own child and grandchildren in a war zone-type environment, detained for no reason, and you can’t help them, can’t get them to a point of safety, it’s been frustrating,” he told the Nine newspapers recently.

Earlier this month, the Albanese government confirmed a rescue plan to bring home 16 women and 42 children who are families of IS members.

The first people removed were assessed as the most vulnerable of those held.

The federal government worked with Kurdish authorities on the extraction, which reportedly included DNA testing the individuals to prove they are Australian citizens.

Most of the children were born in Syria, meaning they’ll be heading to Australia for the first time.

Germany, France and Denmark have also brought citizens home from Syria.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil refused to comment, citing sensitivity issues.

Asked about the matter, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the safety of Australians was always paramount.

“We’ll continue to act on national security advice, which is what we have done up to this point and what the former government did as well,” he said on Friday.

“We will always act in a way that keeps Australians safe.”

But Opposition Leader Peter Dutton warned the extractions were not in the national interest, claiming the rescues could inflame the risk of terrorism in Australia.

“Because we haven’t seen on our television screens an attack in Paris or London or Melbourne or Sydney for some time we think the threat has passed – it hasn’t passed,” he told Sky News.

“I received a briefing from the director-general of security only a couple of weeks ago … on my collective experience and what I know, I don’t think it’s in our country’s best interests.”

Mr Dutton called on Mr Albanese to explain what security measures were in place to monitor the individuals.

-with AAP