Taliban Frees Elderly British Couple Detained in Afghanistan

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An elderly British couple, detained in Afghanistan for nearly eight months, was released on Friday, according to Taliban authorities, following mounting pressure due to concerns over their health.

Taliban officials have not disclosed the specific reasons for Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbara, 76, being taken into custody in February during their return to their home.

“We’ve been treated very well. We’re eager to see our children,” Barbara, standing alongside her husband on the Kabul airport tarmac, shared.

She added, “We look forward to returning to Afghanistan if possible. We are Afghan citizens.”

The couple married in Kabul in 1970 and spent almost twenty years living there, where they ran educational programs after relocating. They also became official Afghan citizens.

Their family had repeatedly appealed, citing their declining health since their detention.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi announced on social media that the couple was handed over to the UK’s special envoy to Afghanistan, Richard Lindsay.

“Peter and Barbara Reynolds, two British nationals who violated Afghan laws, were released today after the judicial process,” Balkhi stated.

Photos aired on Sky News showed the couple with Lindsay at Kabul airport before their departure to Doha, Qatar.

“They are very relieved to be going home,” Lindsay told the broadcaster.

In late July, UN human rights experts urged the Taliban government to free the pair, warning that their health was rapidly deteriorating and risking irreversible harm or death.

Foreign ministry spokesman Balkhi emphasized that the government does not see the issue of its citizens from a political or transactional perspective.

A Qatari official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation, told AFP that mediation led by Qatar successfully resulted in their release.

“The Qataris engaged with Afghan authorities for many months, working closely with the British government,” the official added.