An elderly British couple who were detained in Afghanistan nearly eight months ago have been freed.
Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband Peter, 80, were detained by the Taliban in February while travelling to their home in Bamyan.
The couple, who had lived in the country for 18 years running school programmes, have been held in a maximum security prison in Kabul.
They were never formally charged.
Campaigners say that inside the walls of Pul-e-Charkhi Prison, Peter was ‘beaten and shackled’ and Barbie only offered one meal a day.
They were flown to Doha following a deal mediated by Qatar.
Peter told Sky News: ‘We are just very thankful.’
Barbie added: ‘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 told Reuters: ‘Throughout their eight months in detention – during which they were largely held separately – the Qatari embassy in Kabul provided them with critical support, including access to their doctor, delivery of medication, and regular communication with their family.’
Their friend, Faye Hall, a Chinese-American, was also held but was released as part of a deal hashed out by Qatari officials. Their local translator was also detained.
Hall said ‘time was running out’ for Barbie and Peter, who had no idea why they were being held.
University sweethearts Barbie and Peter married in the capital of Kabul in 1970, later becoming Afghan citizens to live in their ‘home’.
They had been running Rebuild, an organisation which teaches women and their children about parenting and conflict resolution.
Barbie and Peter have five children, 17 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
When the Taliban seized control in 2021, the couple refused to leave, saying they ‘couldn’t leave the country and the people they love, in their darkest hour’, a website calling for their release says.
But far from being persecuted, Taliban officials invited them to speak about their work and gave Barbie the first woman’s ‘Certificate of Appreciation’.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has been approached for comment.
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