Son of the British couple held by the Taliban ‘ecstatic’ when they return to the UK

The son of a British couple, detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan for nearly eight months, said he was “overwhelmed” by their release.

The 80 -year -old Peter Reynolds and his wife Barbie, 76 -year -old, who lived in Afghanistan for nearly two decades, have to fly to the United Kingdom on Saturday after reuniting with their daughter in Qatar.

Jonathan Reynolds told the BBC Radio 4 Today program that he was “ecstatic and grateful” to those who participated in securing their release.

The Taliban, who detained the couple on the way home on February 1, said the couple had violated Afghan laws and was released after court proceedings – but the Islamist group had never revealed a reason for their detention.

There were emotional scenes on Friday As the daughter of the couple, Sarah Entwiele met with her parents as they got off the plane to Doha.

“We look forward to going back to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens,” Barbie told Agance France-Presse at the Kabul airport after negotiations brokered in Qatar for their release.

Their son Jonathan sounded these hopes, saying that “their desire would be to continue to live there and do the work they do.”

The United Kingdom Prime Minister Sir Kyar Starmer praised the “vital role” played by Qatar to secure their release.

Peter and Barbie Reynolds got married in Kabul in 1970 and spent the last 18 years conducting a charity training program that was approved by local Taliban officials when the armed group restored power in 2021.

“They have not only a heart for the people of Afghanistan, but they also have a strategy. The work they did was very fruitful and has a massive positive impact,” Jonathan told the BBC.

He said he had managed to share the results of “really encouraging” reports on their programs with his parents by phone a few weeks ago.

He said Barbie’s initial reaction was that they had “more work”.

“But how do you do it in a country where you are not welcome,” Jonathan added.

Their attachment to Afghanistan was demonstrated by their decision to remain in the province of Bamian after the authoritarian regime seized control of control in August 2021, while many other Westers left.

The release of the couple follows months of public lobbying from their family, who have described the excruciating conditions of their detention.

Jonathan said in July that his father had suffered serious convulsions and his mother had “shuddered” with anemia and malnutrition.

A Qatari officer told the BBC that the couple had been moved from the Central Prison of Kabul to a larger facility with better conditions during the last stage of negotiations for their release.

Taliban officials maintain that they have received adequate medical assistance during their detention and that their human rights have been respected.

The couple received medical checks in the Qatari capital, Doha before leaving for London. They will arrive on a commercial flight on Saturday morning, AFP reports.

The United Kingdom does not recognize the Taliban government and closed its embassy in Kabul when the group returned to power.

The Foreign Office Service says support for British citizens in Afghanistan is “very limited” and advises all trips to the country.