After nearly eight months in Taliban detention, an elderly British couple, Peter and Barbie Reynolds, has returned to the UK. They arrived at London Heathrow on Saturday, as observed by an AFP journalist.
Peter, 80, and Barbie, 76, flew in from Qatar, pivotal in negotiating their release. Barbie, smiling broadly, walked through arrivals without addressing the press.
The Taliban have not disclosed the reasons behind their February arrest while returning home.
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“We’ve been treated well. We’re eager to see our children,” Barbie expressed, standing with her husband on the Kabul airport tarmac.
“We hope to return to Afghanistan if possible. We are Afghan citizens,” she stated.
Married in Kabul in 1970, the couple spent nearly 20 years in Afghanistan, running educational programs for women and children and acquiring Afghan citizenship.
They stayed in Afghanistan after the Taliban’s 2021 return to power, despite British embassy advice.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi announced on social media that the couple was handed over to the UK’s special envoy, Richard Lindsay.
“Peter and Barbara Reynolds, who breached Afghan laws, were released following the judicial process,” Balkhi added.
Initially held in maximum security and then in underground cells without sunlight, they were later moved to Kabul’s intelligence services, according to UN experts.
In late July, independent UN human rights experts urged the Taliban to release the couple, citing their deteriorating health and risk of “irreparable harm or death.” Their family had repeatedly raised concerns about their health.
