On 19 September, the government of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban announced the release of an elderly British couple who had been held in detention for nearly eight months. This is reported by the British media.
Peter Reynolds, 80, and his 76-year-old wife Barbara were arrested in February. According to the media, their health has recently deteriorated badly.
The released couple was handed over to the UK’s special representative Richard Lindsay. It is reported that the release of the Reynolds couple was largely due to the mediation mission of Qatar.
Peter and Barbara Reynolds were married in Kabul in 1970 and lived in Afghanistan for almost 20 years, working on educational programmes. They also became official citizens of the country. The Taliban government did not disclose the reasons for their arrest in Bamyan province, but said the Reynolds couple “broke the law.”
The Taliban Foreign Ministry said on 13 September that a United States delegation visited Kabul and discussed a prisoner exchange with Taliban representatives.