Elderly British couple released by Taliban after eight months in custody

An elderly British couple, Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband Peter Reynolds, 80, were released by the Taliban after eight months in custody and arrived in Qatar on Friday, the culmination of months of negotiations involving Britain, Qatar and the Taliban. The pair had lived in Afghanistan for 18 years, where they ran an education charity, and they are Afghan citizens. Their arrival in Doha marked a high-profile humanitarian moment after their captivity began in February.

Their daughter, Sarah Entwistle, greeted them at the airport and told reporters, "Thank you for giving us our family back." She added that the family would be "forever grateful to the Qatari and British governments for standing with us during this difficult time." The Reynolds family had urged explanations for the detention, which drew attention from international mediators and health experts concerned about the welfare of the elderly couple.

Barbie Reynolds, speaking to relatives and reporters in Doha, said the family would need time to adjust, but their health had remained a priority during captivity. Jonathan Reynolds told Sky News that their health would have deteriorated if they had been held any longer, noting that Qatar had arranged access to doctors and medicines. United Nations health experts warned that long-term detention could have serious consequences for elderly people in captivity.

Qatar’s minister of state, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi, said he was grateful "for the fruitful cooperation" between the United Kingdom and the Taliban that helped secure the release. The Taliban said the couple had broken Afghan laws but did not detail the offences. British special envoy to Afghanistan Richard Lindsay said it was "up to the Afghan authorities here to determine why they were detained."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the release, thanking Qatar and its emir for securing the couple’s freedom. The note of relief came as the United States continues to reflect on its 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, which led to the Taliban’s return to power.

The Reynolds had built a life in Afghanistan over nearly two decades, dedicating themselves to education work through a local charity. Their release underscores the role of diplomacy and international cooperation in addressing complex detentions and the welfare of elderly detainees who faced health risks during eight months in Taliban custody.