A smuggler in charge of the border operation of the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) confirmed to the BBC that three sisters from Bradford, U.K., and their nine children have split into two groups and crossed into Syria. The first group went in on Wednesday and the second on Thursday.
The sisters, Khadija, Sugra and Zohra Dawood, and their children were reported missing on June 11 following a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
It was also reported that one of the sisters, Zohra, had sent a message to her family saying that she was inside Syria but did not detail where.
Two of their husbands, Akhtar Iqbal and Mohammed Shoaib, made an emotional appeal during a press conference on Tuesday imploring their families to return home.
The women’s brother is believed to to be fighting with ISIS in Syria.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Biden Dropped Out
- Ukraine’s Plan to Survive Trump
- The Rise of a New Kind of Parenting Guru
- The Chaos and Commotion of the RNC in Photos
- Why We All Have a Stake in Twisters’ Success
- 8 Eating Habits That Actually Improve Your Sleep
- Welcome to the Noah Lyles Olympics
- Get Our Paris Olympics Newsletter in Your Inbox
Contact us at letters@time.com