Tareq Kamleh, a pediatrician who joined the Islamic State and was once declared dead, is reportedly alive and held in an Iraqi prison, seeking to return to Australia. Kamleh, infamously known as 'Dr Jihad,' appeared in ISIS propaganda videos in 2015, urging other medical professionals to join the organization. At the time, he vowed never to return to Australia, stating his decision to join ISIS was well-educated and calculated. He claimed it was his humanitarian duty to help children suffering in the war-torn region.
Two years after ISIS claimed he was killed in Syria during the final battle of Raqqa in 2017, Kamleh reportedly continued working as a mobile field doctor. He was arrested in 2019 while moving through the frontlines of the Caliphate. Now 41, Kamleh is in a high-security prison in Baghdad, being interrogated by Iraqi counter-terrorism officials. He is among 13 individuals linked to ISIS who are reportedly hoping to be released and return to Australia. This development follows the recent return of 10 ISIS brides and their children to Australia from Syria.
Australian officials have indicated that the government will not provide assistance for Kamleh's return. Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt stated that the government has consistently not provided assistance to individuals who chose to join foreign terrorist organizations. Housing Minister Clare O'Neil expressed a strong sentiment against his return, emphasizing that he must be held accountable for his decision to join a violent death cult.
Kamleh, who was born in Perth, completed his medical studies at Adelaide University and worked in various hospitals in Australia until March 2015. He reportedly told mosque parishioners he was going overseas to work with Doctors Without Borders, but instead traveled to Turkey and then Syria. He subsequently appeared in ISIS propaganda videos.
