Australian Islamic State orphans rescued from Syria camp

Eight orphans of Australian Islamic State fighters have been spirited out of a camp in Syria, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Monday, in an apparent U-turn.

The children and grandchildren of two notorious jihadis are now in the care of Australian officials, he said in a statement.

The children are believed to be aged between two and 17 and were living in a camp in northern Syria -- making consular access all but impossible. Morrison previously indicated his government would only help citizens if they approached an embassy or consulate but appeared to have had a change of heart.

"The fact that parents put their children into harm's way by taking them into a war zone was a despicable act," Morrison said in a statement.

"However, children should not be punished for the crimes of their parents." The group includes three surviving children and two grandchildren of Sydney-born Khaled Sharrouf -- who came to prominence after posting a photo of one of his sons holding the head of a Syrian