The Taliban announced on Friday the release of Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbara, 76, a British couple who had been held in Afghanistan for nearly eight months under undisclosed charges.
The couple, who were arrested in February, were freed after months of international pressure and mediation led by Qatar. Standing at Kabul airport before boarding a plane to Doha, Barbara expressed gratitude: “We’ve been treated very well. We’re looking forward to seeing our children.” She added that they hoped to return to Afghanistan in the future, noting, “We are Afghan citizens.”
Peter and Barbara, who married in Kabul in 1970, have spent nearly two decades in Afghanistan running educational programs for women and children, and were granted Afghan citizenship. Despite the UK’s warnings against staying when the Taliban seized power in 2021, they chose to remain in the country.
Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi stated the couple had “violated the laws of Afghanistan” but were freed after “the judicial process.” He stressed the decision was not politically motivated. Images of the pair with Richard Lindsay, the UK’s special representative, were shared before their departure.
According to UN experts, the couple endured harsh detention conditions, including time in underground cells without daylight. In July, human rights experts raised alarms about their deteriorating health, warning of “irreparable harm or even death” if they were not released. Their family had also issued repeated pleas for their freedom.
Hamish Falconer, UK minister for the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, welcomed the release but reminded citizens that travel to Afghanistan goes against official advice due to limited consular support.
The release comes shortly after Washington’s envoy on hostages, Adam Boehler, visited Kabul to discuss potential prisoner exchanges. At least one US citizen, Mahmood Habibi, remains detained in Afghanistan, alongside several other foreigners arrested since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
A Qatari official confirmed that Doha had been mediating the couple’s release for months in close coordination with London.
What You Should Know
Peter and Barbara Reynolds, longtime residents of Afghanistan who dedicated their lives to education, were freed after eight months in Taliban custody.
Their release was secured through Qatari mediation amid global concern for their health. Despite warnings, the couple had chosen to remain in Afghanistan after the Taliban’s return to power.
