They were taken from Geneva to Syria by their mother in 2016 when she joined the Islamic State terror group. The mother and two half-sisters ended up in the Kurdish controlled Roj detainment camp in northeastern Syria.
The fate of the two girls received intensive media scrutiny and the Swiss authorities were urged to intervene.
On Monday, the foreign ministry confirmedExternal link that the girls had arrived at Geneva Airport in Switzerland having first been transferred to Iraq.
In Geneva they will be under the care of child welfare services and receive counselling before a decision is taken on whether they can be reunited with their fathers, according to SRF.
“In order to protect the children and their privacy, no further information can be provided on this repatriation,” the foreign ministry stated on Monday.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
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What will happen to Swiss minors stuck in Syrian camps?
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Despite pleas from international bodies, Switzerland refuses to repatriate adults, leaving seven Swiss children stranded in the war-torn country.
Switzerland slammed for abandoning two minors in Syria
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Switzerland is under pressure to repatriate two young Swiss girls living in a makeshift camp established in northeast Syria after the fall of the Islamic State group (ISIS). The United Nations human rights experts issued a statement on Thursday urging Switzerland to bring back two half-sisters, aged 8 and 14, who were allegedly abducted by…
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The Swiss government has rejected calls to actively repatriate Islamic militants with Swiss nationality from Syria or Iraq.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.