Taliban Releases British Couple After Seven Months In Custody
The Taliban on Friday freed a British couple who had been held in Afghanistan for seven months, according to officials and family members.
The Taliban on Friday freed a British couple who had been held in Afghanistan for seven months, according to officials and family members.
Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife, Barbie, 76, were detained in February while returning to their home in Bamiyan, where they had worked in education sector for nearly two decades. Their release was mediated by Qatar, a British official said. The couple left Afghanistan later on Friday.
Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi confirmed the release in a post on X, saying the pair had “violated Afghanistan’s laws” and were freed after judicial proceedings. He did not provide details.
The Taliban previously suggested the arrest was due to a “small issue” or a misunderstanding involving allegedly fake Afghan passports. The couple’s children said no credible charges were ever produced despite repeated searches.
A British diplomat said the release formed part of the Taliban’s broader effort to secure international recognition.
Earlier, Taliban sources told The Telegraph the Haqqani network had detained the couple in a political move to pressure Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
