"The first thing Nesrine wanted to do when she returned was hug us all," said Zacharia Zahab, her father.
Nesrine Zahab, a woman linked to the Islamic State group, has returned to Sydney after spending over a decade in a Syrian camp. Her father, Zacharia Zahab, says she's happy to be home, but exhausted from the ordeal. Zahab and her eight-year-old son arrived in Sydney on Tuesday night, along with three other women and their children.
The group had been living in the notorious al-Roj camp in northern Syria, where they were being held with their children. Some of the women, referred to as 'ISIS brides,' had accompanied their husbands to the war zone, while others had come with family and married ISIS fighters once they arrived.
Zahab's father, a 71-year-old man, said his family had been reunited for the first time in years, including with his 98-year-old mother.
"The first thing Nesrine wanted to do when she returned was hug us all," he said.
"You know when people are excited, and they jump up and touch their legs together, that is what she was like, she is so happy to be home," he added.
Zahab's family had been living apart for years, with her husband and children stuck in Syria. He said his daughter had been subject to intense media scrutiny since her arrival in Sydney.
"This is the home where she was born. She was very happy and excited," Zahab said.
"Nesrine has her old bedroom back," he added.
The family had to make some adjustments to accommodate Zahab and her son, who had been living in tents for over a decade. They changed some things in the house to make room for them.
"The guards at the camps sometimes kept the women and children outside the tents for hours in the hot sun or rain for hours when they were checking things," Zahab said.
He said his grandson was not used to using glasses to drink water, as they only had plastic cups in the camp.
"When my grandson was handed a glass of water yesterday, my daughter said 'don't give him that' as he was only used to plastic cups in the camp," Zahab said.
Zahab's daughter is still tired and the family has yet to have a long talk about the future. She hopes to continue her studies and become a nurse or community worker. Her son wants to go to school like any Australian boy.
The family's reunion is a welcome relief after years apart. Zahab's father said his daughter made a mistake by going to a dangerous area on the Turkish side of the Syrian border to give aid to refugees.
"She got caught trying to escape in the first year, but she always wanted to come back to Australia," Zahab said.
The Australian government has not commented on the return of the women and their children.