A suburban doctor who has been trying to organise the return of Australian ISIS brides has laid the blame for his mission’s failure on the Albanese government.

Dr Jamal Rifi, who is a GP in western Sydney, has been on the ground in the Middle East attempting to assist 34 women and children to exit the Roj refugee camp in Syria’s north-east.

In his first statement since the firestorm surrounding the plans to return the ‘ISIS brides’ to Australia, he said there is no regret in trying to free the families.

‘I’d do it 1000 times,’ he told The Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday.

He said he had attempted to do ‘everything by the book’, including liaising with the International Committee for the Red Cross.

‘The only obstacle was we didn’t have anything from the Australian government,’ he said.

‘We’re making some inroads, but the biggest obstacle is the prime minister’s statements.

‘The Syrian side is asking if he doesn’t want them, we don’t have anything from them, why should we help them?’

Western Sydney GP Dr Jamal Rifi (pictured) has been trying to help 34 women and children return to Australia from the Roj refugee camp in Syria

Dr Rifi said the Albanese government has been the only obstacle in his efforts

A key concerns for the women and children is that they would be stranded in another country due to a lack of support from the Albanese government.

‘They were concerned the stopover country might not let them in because of all the negative statements that were happening in Australia,’ Dr Rifi said.

‘They didn’t want them to get stuck forever.’

Last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ruled out that his government was helping the ISIS brides.

‘We have a very firm view that we won’t be providing assistance or repatriation,’ he told ABC News Breakfast.

‘We want to make it clear, as we have to the people involved, if there are any breaches of the law then they will face the full force of the Australian law.

‘My mother would have said, “If you make your bed, you lie in it.”

‘These are people who went overseas and went there to provide support for people who basically want a caliphate.’

Last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured centre with Dr Rifi – right) ruled out that his government was helping the ISIS brides

Dr Rifi revealed he had taken an extra, 35th passport with him to the Middle East for a young, male prisoner called Yusuf Zahab.

When Mr Zahab was 12-years-old, he was allegedly brought to Syria by his parents.

Now, aged 23, he was believed to have been jailed in a Syrian men’s prison.

‘We went for 35, including a minor who was taken from his mother and put in adult prison – Yusuf,’ Dr Rifi said.

‘We couldn’t find him. We searched for him and then later on it came to us that he was in Iraq.’

There has been no official confirmation that Mr Zahab is currently in Iraq. 

Dr Rifi said he was disappointed he was unable to help Mr Zahab or the families in the Roj refugee camp.

‘I don’t regret, but I regret we had to take them out and put them back in [the camp],’ he said. 

‘I regret not being able to free Yusuf to return to his mother

‘The children shouldn’t suffer from the sins of fathers or mothers and Australian children shouldn’t live in such an environment for any length of time. And they’ve been there seven years.’ 

More to come.