DOHA – An elderly British couple detained in Afghanistan for almost eight months arrived in Qatar after their release by Taliban authorities on Friday amid concerns for their health, an AFP journalist reported. Taliban officials have declined to say why they arrested Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, in February as they were returning to their home.
“We’ve been treated very well. We’re looking forward to seeing our children,” said Barbie, in a red headscarf, standing next to her bearded husband, near a plane on the tarmac at Kabul airport.
“We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens,” she added, after Qatar-brokered negotiations for their release.
Later on Friday, they arrived in the Qatari capital Doha, where they were embraced by their daughter Sarah Entwistle and other family members, television images showed. Entwistle told AFPTV she was “overwhelmed with gratitude and relief”. “This is a moment of immense joy for our family. We are deeply thankful to everyone who played a role in securing their release.”
A Qatari diplomat said the British couple would receive medical checks in Doha before leaving for London on Saturday on a commercial flight. The couple were married in Kabul in 1970, and have spent almost two decades living in Afghanistan running educational programmes for women and children. They also became Afghan citizens.
When the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the couple remained in Afghanistan against the advice of the British embassy. Foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said the couple were handed over to British 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 said. The copule’s family welcomed their release. “This experience has reminded us of the power of diplomacy, empathy and international cooperation,” their four children said in a joint statement.
