Elderly British couple held in Afghanistan freed from Taliban detention

An old British couple Held by the Taliban Free was released for seven months.

Barbie, 76 and Peter Reynolds, 80The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was detained in Afghanistan.

The couple left Afghanistan on Friday and is now expected to reunite with their families.

The shots showed that they were on a plane in Kabul, where Mr. Reynolds said to Sky News: “We are very grateful.”

Reynolds added: “We have been treated very well. We are looking forward to seeing our children. If we could do it, we are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan. We are Afghan citizens.”

Arrested by the couple Taliban When they returned to their homes in Bamyan province in the center on February 1st Afghanistan.

They spent seven and a half months detention without being accused And until the end of May, he was kept separately in a maximum security prison.

Later, within two to three days, he was transferred to the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) with the promise of release, but it lasted for months.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hamish Falconer said he has been working hard since the detainees of England and supported the family.

“The government’s ability to help those who need consular support in Afghanistan is extremely limited. Our travel advice is clear that individuals should not go to Afghanistan.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, in a statement, “Welcome to the detention of Peter and Barbara Reynolds in Afghanistan, and I know that these long -awaited news will be a great relief for themselves and their families.

He continued: “I want to secure their freedom, including the supervisor of Qatar, including Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.”

The Taliban government said that the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Abdul Qahar Balkhi said that the couple “violated the Afghan law” and was released from prison on Friday after the court hearing.

The statement published in X did not say which law was claimed to have broken the couple.

Mr. Balkhi thanked Qatar for his “sincere efforts and mediation” about the couple, which Britain said that he had passed to Afghanistan’s special ambassador Richard Lindsay.

After being released, Lindsay told Sky News that he was “uncertain” about the reason for the couple, but they were very happy to come home and were very pleased to come together with their families. “

When asked about their health, “I am not a doctor, but they are very happy.” He said.

The British couple has been living in Afghanistan for the last 18 years, conducting educational and training projects, and even after the Taliban was captured in 2021, he decided to stay in the country.

The couple’s family called for the release of the couple over and over again, claiming that they had been ill -treated and kept in unidentified accusations.

His children have previously talked about their fears for their parents’ health. According to his son Jonathan Reynolds, Mr. Reynolds, who had a heart attack in the past, seems to have improved some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

In July, his father said that he experienced swinging in his hands, arms and faces and had the “point where he was on the ground and could not get up”.

He added that his mother’s hands and feet went blue because of “malnutrition and a kind of anemia”.

In July, the United Nations Human Rights Experts warned that the couple’s physical and mental health was rapidly worsening and was at risk of irreparable harm and even death.

Taliban’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi rejected the allegations of ill -treatment of the couple, claiming that they are constantly in contact with their families ”and“ respected human rights ”.