An elderly British couple detained by Taliban authorities in Afghanistan for nearly eight months has been released and is expected to return to London on Saturday.
Peter Reynolds, 80, and Barbie Reynolds, 76, reunited with family members in Qatar on Friday after leaving Afghanistan earlier that day. Following medical check-ups, they are set to travel to London on a commercial flight, according to a Qatari diplomat.
The Taliban authorities have not disclosed the reasons for the couple’s arrest in February as they were leaving Afghanistan. In Doha, the couple embraced their relatives, including their daughter Sarah Entwistle, who expressed her “overwhelming gratitude and relief” at having her parents back.
In a statement, the couple’s four children said they are “eternally grateful to the Qataris” but acknowledged it would be a “long road to recovery” for their parents to regain their health.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised Qatar’s “crucial role” in the couple’s release, highlighting the efforts of Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Qatar serves as a key intermediary between the Taliban, who regained power in Afghanistan in 2021, and the international community, which largely refuses to recognise their regime, except for Russia.
The couple, married in Kabul in 1970, hold Afghan citizenship alongside their British nationality and have spent decades running an association providing education programmes for children and women.
Taliban authorities had repeatedly stated they regarded the couple as Afghan citizens, although no charges were ever announced against them.
