Australia to fighters in Syria: 'Don't come back'

By Recep Sakar

MELBOURNE, Australia (AA) - Australians who chose to go and fight in Syria had better killed there, the country’s immigration minister said on Thursday.

Speaking in an interview with Australian radio station 2GB, Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton said: “The best outcome is for those who make a decision to fight in Syria that they're killed over there and don't come back.”

Dutton’s remarks come a day after the publication of report into a police operation to end a 2015 hostage situation in Sydney, carried out by a radicalized Australian gunman.

Three people died in the siege of a Sydney cafe, including the hostage taker, Man Haron Monis.

New South West Coroner Michael Barnes’s report described the siege as a terrorist attack, regardless of whether it was directly Daesh-linked or not.

National security and counter-terrorism continue to be key concerns for the Australian government.

Justice Minister George Brandis also said regional security was an issue for Australia, describing foreign fighters returning home as "the greatest security threat to our region".