British couple held for months by Taliban released from prison

A British couple who were detained for nearly eight months by the Taliban in Afghanistan have been released.

Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, who have lived in the country for nearly two decades, were on their way home when they were stopped on 1 February.

The couple were freed through Qatari mediation. A Qatari official said they would fly to Qatar for medical checks before travelling on to the UK, despite having a long-term home in Afghanistan's Bamiyan province.

The Taliban has not disclosed the reason for their detention, despite four court appearances.

The pair had married in Kabul in 1970 and spent the past 18 years running a charitable training programme that had been approved by local Taliban officials when the armed group reclaimed power in 2021.

They have been described by family as having a lifelong love of Afghanistan, typified by their decision to remain there after the authoritarian regime seized control in August 2021, when many other Westerners left.

Their release follows months of public lobbying by their family, who have described the harrowing conditions of their detention.

The couple's son, Jonathan Reynolds, told the BBC in July that his father had been suffering serious convulsion and his mother was "numb" from anaemia and malnutrition

Their couple's daughter, Sarah Entwistle, previously said her father had suffered a mini-stroke, while the UN warned that without medical care the couple were at risk of irreparable harm.

Just six days ago, an American woman who was detained with them and subsequently released told the BBC they were "literally dying" in prison and that "time is running out".

Faye Hall, who was let go two months into her detention, highlighted that the elderly couple's health had deteriorated rapidly while in prison.

Taliban officials maintained they received adequate medical care in prison and their human rights were respected.

The UK does not recognise the Taliban government and closed its embassy in Kabul when the group returned to power.

The Foreign Office says support for British nationals in Afghanistan is therefore "severely limited" and advises against all travel to the country.