DUBAI, Sept 20 (AP) – The Taliban have released British nationals Peter and Barbie Reynolds, aged 80 and 76, after holding them for more than seven months on undisclosed charges in Afghanistan. The couple, longtime residents of Bamiyan province who ran an education and training organization, were freed on Friday following mediation by Qatar, which also facilitated their departure from Kabul.
The release comes amid the Taliban’s ongoing push for international recognition three years after seizing power in 2021. The couple’s daughter, Sarah Entwistle, expressed “overwhelming gratitude” to both the Qatari and British governments for securing her parents’ freedom after what she called their “incomprehensible detention.”
While the Taliban claim the couple violated Afghan law, they have not revealed the specific charges. A spokesperson for the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry thanked Qatar for its mediation efforts, while U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the release, saying it brought “huge relief” to the family.
The case had drawn international concern, with U.N. human rights experts in July warning that the couple’s health was deteriorating in custody. Their release follows recent Taliban talks with U.S. envoys over prisoner exchanges and comes amid Afghanistan’s worsening humanitarian crisis, economic instability, and growing calls for foreign aid despite Western concerns over Taliban restrictions on women’s rights and civil liberties.