Taliban Release Detained Elderly British Couple

Taliban Release Detained Elderly British Couple

An elderly British couple, Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbara, 76, were freed on Friday after being detained in Afghanistan for nearly eight months, according to Taliban authorities. Their release came following growing concerns about their deteriorating health.

Taliban officials have not disclosed the specific reasons for the couple's arrest in February as they were returning to their residence in Afghanistan.

"We've been treated very well. We're looking forward to seeing our children," Barbara said, wearing a red headscarf while standing beside her bearded husband near an aircraft at Kabul airport.

"We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens," she added, following Qatar-mediated negotiations that secured their release.

The Reynolds have deep ties to Afghanistan, having married in Kabul in 1970 and spent almost 20 years living in the country. During this time, they managed educational initiatives for women and children and eventually obtained Afghan citizenship.

Despite recommendations from the British embassy to leave, the couple chose to remain in Afghanistan after the Taliban regained power in 2021.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi stated on social media that the couple were transferred to the UK's special representative to Afghanistan, Richard Lindsay.

"Two British nationals named Peter and Barbara Reynolds, who had violated the laws of Afghanistan, were released from custody today following the judicial process," Balkhi further explained.

Sky News broadcast images showing the couple with Lindsay at Kabul airport before their departure to Doha, Qatar.

"They are very relieved to be going home," Lindsay told the news outlet.

According to UN experts, the couple were initially held in a maximum security facility, "then in underground cells, without daylight, before being transferred" to intelligence services in Kabul.

In late July, independent UN human rights experts urged the Taliban government to release the pair, expressing alarm about the "rapid deterioration" of their physical and mental health and warning they "risk irreparable harm or even death".

Their family had repeatedly expressed concerns about their failing health following their arrest.

Hamish Falconer, the UK's minister for the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, expressed relief that "their ordeal has come to an end" and reiterated that British citizens are advised against traveling to Afghanistan, noting that the government's capacity to provide consular assistance there "is extremely limited".

Russia remains the only country to have officially recognized the Taliban government, which has implemented strict Islamic law and faces accusations of widespread human rights abuses.

Only a small number of embassies have resumed operations in Kabul after most evacuated at the conclusion of the NATO-led conflict against Taliban militants.

Foreign ministry spokesman Balkhi stated that the government "does not view the matters of citizens from a political or transactional angle" and added that "Afghans, wherever they may be, should also receive consular services".

The release coincided with a rare visit to Kabul by Washington's special envoy on hostages, Adam Boehler, who arrived Saturday to discuss potential prisoner exchanges.

At least one US citizen, Mahmood Habibi, remains detained in Afghanistan.

Since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021 following the withdrawal of US military forces, dozens of foreign nationals have been arrested.

A Qatari official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the matter, informed AFP that the couple were "safely released from detention in Afghanistan following mediation led by Qatar".

"The Qataris had been engaged with the Afghan authorities for many months, working in close coordination with the British government," the official added.