AKIPRESS.COM - As many as 12 young women have tried to leave Melbourne to join the Islamic State (IS) militant group, according to Australian police.

The women, aged between 18 and 29, have been recruited on social media. Five of them are now living with IS militants in the conflict zones, according to a special investigation by Victoria Police, reports BBC.

Concern has been rising since mid-2014 about Australians going to the Middle East to fight for IS. The government will soon introduce legislation allowing it to strip dual citizens fighting in Iraq or Syria of their Australian citizenship.

People working in Australia to support militant groups will also be targeted by the changes. Task Force Pax was established in April to monitor Victorians believed to be involved with insurgents.

Officials from the task force told local media on Friday that another four Melbourne women made it as far as Turkey before being turned back by authorities.

One other was stopped by customs officers in Australia while two remain unaccounted for. The young women are all from Melbourne's northern and south-eastern suburbs.

Assistant Commissioner Tracy Linford said two forensic psychologists had been embedded in the task force to help investigators understand why the young women were trying to join IS.

"The use of psychologists provides us with a far more comprehensive risk assessment and also assists in identifying early intervention opportunities," she said.

"This gives us the chance to focus on identifying those youths most at risk of radicalisation and to engage with them or their families directly."