An elderly British couple who were 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, the Foreign Office has confirmed.
The couple left Afghanistan on Friday and are now expected to be reunited with their family.
Footage showed them boarding a plane in Kabul, where Mr Reynolds told Sky News: “We are just very thankful.”
Ms Reynolds 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.”
In a statement, their family said it was “a moment of immense joy” and they were “deeply thankful to everyone who played a role in securing their release”.
“This experience has reminded us of the power of diplomacy, empathy, and international cooperation,” they added. “While the road to recovery will be long as our parents regain their health and spend time with their family, today is a day of tremendous joy and relief.”
They thanked Qatari mediators for their “unwavering support”, as well as highlighting the backing from the UK and US governments, and the UN.
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.
Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer said the UK had worked intensively since their detention and supported the family throughout.
“The government’s ability to help those in need of consular support in Afghanistan is extremely limited. Our travel advice is clear that individuals should not travel to Afghanistan,” he added.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed their release, saying in a statement: “I welcome the release of Peter and Barbara Reynolds from detention in Afghanistan, and I know this long-awaited news will come as a huge relief to them and their family.
“I want to pay tribute to the vital role played by Qatar, including the Amir, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, in securing their freedom.”
A spokesperson at the Taliban government’s foreign ministry, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, said the couple “violated Afghan law” and were released from prison on Friday after a court hearing.
His statement, posted on X (Twitter), did not say what law the couple were alleged to have broken.
Mr Balkhi thanked Qatar for its “sincere efforts and mediation” regarding the couple, who he said were passed over to Richard Lindsay, the UK’s special envoy for Afghanistan.
Upon their release, Mr Lindsay told Sky News it remained “unclear” on what grounds the couple had been detained, but said they were “very relieved to be going home and delighted to be reunited with their family”.
Asked about their health, he said: “I am not a doctor, but they are very happy.”
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, claiming 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 Reynolds.
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, United Nations human rights experts warned the couple’s physical and mental health was deteriorating rapidly, and they were at risk of irreparable harm or even death.
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”.
