An elderly British couple who had been held by the Taliban for seven months without charge have been freed.
Barbie, 76, and Peter Reynolds, 80, have been released from detention in Afghanistan and are on their way to Qatar, an official has confirmed.
A diplomat, speaking to Reuters anonymously, said Qatar had helped mediated the release of Barbie and Peter, and that the couple left Afghanistan on Friday.
The couple were arrested by the Taliban on 1 February when they were returning to their home in Bamyan province in central Afghanistan.
They spent seven and a half months in detention without being charged and were held separately in a maximum-security prison until late May.
They were then transferred to the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), with the promise of release within two to three days, but this went on for months.
The British couple had been living in Afghanistan for the past 18 years, running education and training projects and decided to remain in the country even after the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.
The couple’s family have repeatedly called for the couple’s release, saying they were being mistreated and held on undisclosed charges.
Their children have spoken previously about fears they have for their parents’ health. Mr Reynolds, who has suffered heart attacks in the past, appears to have developed some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, according to his son Jonathan.
He said in July that his father had experienced shaking in his hands, arms and face “to the point he was on the floor and he couldn’t get up”.
He added that his mother’s hands and feet were going blue, due to “malnutrition and some kind of anaemia.”
In July, the Taliban’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, rejected allegations of mistreatment regarding the couple, claiming they are “in constant contact with their families” and their “human rights are being respected”.
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