Melb nurse who joined IS 'could help Aust'

A Melbourne nurse who is returning home after spending time with Islamic State militants in Syria could have valuable information about the terror group's operations, an analyst says.

Adam Brookman is expected to fly into Sydney on Friday escorted by Australian Federal Police officers.

Mr Brookman says he went to the war zone for humanitarian work in 2014 but was forced to join IS when he was injured in a hospital bombing and taken to IS-controlled territory.

He surrendered to AFP officers after fleeing IS and hiding out in Turkey since December, Fairfax says.

The father-of-five could face serious charges under anti-terror laws if he's found to have travelled to declared parts of Syria and Iran without a valid reason.

But authorities could show him leniency in exchange for Mr Brookman's help against the militants, says political risk analyst David Wright-Neville.

"Brookman is obviously going to be an encyclopedia of knowledge about how it's operating in this part of the world," he told 3AW radio.

"If he's prepared to come clean, if he's prepared to offer very, very valuable insights into ISIS and into its operations, then his intelligence value might mean they're prepared to be more lenient with him."

Dr Wright-Neville says there is a lack of reliable information about how IS treats its volunteers and its global network.