The two jihadists – originally from Geneva and Lausanne – have been missing since a rescue attack was launched in January by the Islamic State (IS) group on the jail in the Kurdish-controlled region of Syria where they had been held.
A third Swiss-originated fighter is seemingly still accounted for in detention, Swiss public broadcaster, SRF, reported on Wednesday.
The foreign ministry told SRF that they had some leads about where the missing pair might be, but that the intelligence was contradictory. As such, there is “no definite information” about their whereabouts, Consular Director Johannes Matyassy said.
Matyassy said authorities had taken all possible measures to ensure that the men do not return to Switzerland undetected. He did not specify what the measures were. SRF says it includes listing them on a wanted-list across the European Union’s border-free Schengen area, to which Switzerland is affiliated.
No repatriations
In March 2019 the Swiss government decided on a strategy of not actively repatriating adult jihad fighters from Syria and Iraq, claiming motives of national security.
Authorities said the strategy was to prioritise legal proceedings in the countries where the jihadists had committed their crimes. Children can be repatriated in certain cases, such as the two half-sisters brought back to Geneva last year after having been taken by their mother to Syria in 2016.
Dual nationals who leave to fight for IS can meanwhile be stripped of their Swiss citizenship.
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Sisters repatriated to Switzerland from Syrian prison camp
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Switzerland negotiates the repatriation of two girls, aged 15 and nine, from a Kurdish controlled camp in Syria.
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Solar energy pioneer Raphaël Domjan and his team continued preparations for the altitude record attempt at 10,000 metres with the SolarStratos solar aircraft.
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Cattle in the canton of Geneva and in the neighbouring region of Terre Sainte in the canton of Vaud are being vaccinated against the contagious viral skin nodule disease. The first cases of the animal disease were reported at the end of June in France, just outside Geneva.
Fewer attacks on Swiss ATMs but their future remains uncertain
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Bank ATMs in Switzerland are less prone to attacks by criminals, but their future remains uncertain given the less active use of cash by the population.
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A series of rockfalls occurred above the village of Brienz between 9 and 12 July. According to the municipality of Albula, the overall situation remains tense. Several people disregarded the ban on entering the area around the village.
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Arosa Bergbahnen achieved the highest figure in its 95-year history in the 2024/25 financial year with net revenue of CHF 37 million. Arosa Lenzerheide was able to capitalise on strengths such as snow reliability and the size of the ski area in a long winter season, the company announced on Thursday.
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Unknown perpetrators stole ceramic dental implants during a break-in at a company in Oensingen, northern Switzerland, on Tuesday night.
Euro 2025: Bern prepares for massive parade ahead of Switzerland-Spain game
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The last Euro 2025 match to be played in Bern, the quarterfinal between Spain and Switzerland at 9pm on Friday, promises to be a great celebration of football.
Clariant faces further ethylene price-fixing claim
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Swiss chemicals group Clariant is facing a further claim for damages in connection with ethylene price-fixing agreements.
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The Grande Dixence dam in Lower Valais is closed to visitors due to a rockfall last weekend. The nearby hotel also had to temporarily suspend operations for safety reasons.
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Swiss revoke mother’s citizenship over suspected Islamic State links
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The Swiss authorities have revoked the citizenship of a French-Swiss women for her suspected links to the Islamic State militant group.
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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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.