An elderly British couple detained by the Taliban since February have been released and flown out of Afghanistan following Qatari mediation, the U.K. Foreign Office confirmed Friday. Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband, Peter, 80, had lived in the country for nearly two decades while running a training and education organization.
Hamish Falconer, the UK minister for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, said he was “relieved to hear that Peter and Barbie Reynolds are no longer detained in Afghanistan” and looked forward to their reunion with family. He thanked Qatar for its “essential role” in the case and said the UK had worked intensively since the couple’s detention, as quoted by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
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“The Government’s ability to help those in need of consular support in Afghanistan is extremely limited. Our travel advice is clear that individuals should not travel to Afghanistan,” said in the statement.
The couple were arrested on Feb. 1 as they traveled back to their home in Bamyan province and later separated and moved to a maximum-security prison in Kabul. No charges were made public during their detention. They were freed on Friday and transferred to Doha, officials and media reports said.
Speaking on the runway in Kabul before departure, Mrs. Reynolds told Sky News she was looking forward to “seeing my children,” and suggested she hoped to return to Afghanistan in the future. A Qatari official at the airport credited “continuous efforts” by Doha to help secure their release.
Family members had warned through the summer that the couple’s health was declining in custody and pressed for their release. U.K. officials welcomed Friday’s development while repeating long-standing advice against travel to Afghanistan.
The Reynolds made Afghanistan their home for roughly 18 years, working on community training projects in Bamyan. In the last few months, their situation got a lot of attention throughout the world as governments and relief groups kept calling for equitable treatment of prisoners and clear charges. The Taliban haven’t said officially why they arrested anybody.
After they get there, the pair is anticipated to be with their family again.
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