Two Australian women charged with committing crimes against humanity including slavery offences during the rule of Islamic State in Syria have faced a Melbourne court.

Kawsar Ahmad, 53, also known as Abbas, and her daughter Zeinab Ahmad, 31, were arrested by officers from the Victorian joint counter-terrorism team (JCTT) at Melbourne airport on Thursday.

A third woman, Janai Safar, 32, is expected to appear in a Sydney court on Friday charged with entering a declared conflict zone and joining a terrorist organisation.

Kawsar and Zeinab Ahmad were charged with crimes against humanity including enslavement and using a slave. Kawsar Ahmad was also charged with possessing a slave and engaging in slave trading, Australian Federal Police confirmed on Friday.

Police will allege the pair travelled to Syria in 2014 with their family and knowingly kept a female slave in their home, AFP said in a statement.…