Elderly Brit couple detained by Taliban in Afghan hellhole prison finally freed

An elderly British couple detained in Afghanistan despite living in the country for 20 years have been freed.

Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband Peter, 80, have been held in Taliban captivity for almost eight months and feared they would die in prison. Months of public lobbying for their release from their desperate family followed.

Back in February, the pair were taken into captivity after being stopped while traveling to their residence in Bamyan Province, central Afghanistan. The reason behind their detainment still remains unknown. But they have released from detention today and are bring flown to Doha following mediation led by Qatar.

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At Kabul Airport, Mrs Reynolds told Sky News: "We've been treated very well. We're looking forward to seeing our children. We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens."

A Qatari official with knowledge of the case has said the couple, who have lived in Afghanistan for nearly two decades, will undergo medical checks before travelling on to the UK. They were transferred from Kabul's central prison to a larger jail during the final stage of negotiations, it was confirmed.

Barbie and Peter Reynolds, who met at Bath University, refused to leave Afghanistan despite the Taliban takeover in 2021. American woman Faye Hall, arrested alongside them, was released from captivity by the Taliban after eight weeks.

The couple have been together since the 1960s. They married in the Afghan capital around 50 years ago. They will now be reunited with their family in the coming hours following their release.

In July, their son Jonathan Reynolds issued a desperate plea, stating they "need out now" as their health is "deteriorating fast". Jonathan said his parents had been detained without any charges adding they were being kept apart in a maximum security prison.

He explained how his father suffering serious convulsions while in captivity and his mother is “numb” from malnutrition and anaemia. He said: “It's horrific that they're still held in captivity without, to our understanding, for a period of time without any natural sunlight and not even allowed outside. So their health in so many areas is deteriorating, and it's deteriorating fast.”