The British couple held by the Taliban for months were afraid to be executed

A British couple, released by the Taliban in Afghanistan last week, says they were detained in 10 different prisons and at one point think they will be executed.

The 80 -year -old Peter and Barbie Reynolds, 76, told them that they were never told why they were held or why they were released.

The couple, who has run a charity program in Afghanistan for almost two decades, returned to Britain on Saturday after seven and a half months in detention.

“Good, old -fashioned diplomacy” put an end to its ordeal, told the BBC Hamish Sokolar, Minister of the Middle East, and again thanked the government of Qatar, which helped for their mediation.

They both suffered health problems while in prison, including severe anemia. Taliban officials maintain that they have received adequate medical assistance during their detention and that their human rights have been respected.

They were arrested on February 1 this year after taking a flight from Kabul to Bamin Province, Together with the friend Fei Hall and their translator who were later releasedS

A spokesman for the Taliban Foreign Ministry, speaking after their release, said they “served their time” but did not reveal the reasons for their detention.

“We have a lot to process,” said Peter Reynolds in written remarks sent to the BBC. “We leave behind quality people, our home and all our possessions.”

The couple has a deep love for Afghanistan and married there in 1970.

Since 2009, the couple has been running training projects in Kabul and Bamian.

One of their educational projects included training of women and children and was apparently approved by local authorities, despite the ban on the Taliban of Women, Working and Education for girls over 12 years.

One of the prisons Peter and Barbie were conducted, was Pul-E-Charachi, a notorious prison for maximum security outside Kabul, which is home to some of the most dangerous criminalsS

At one point, they were kept in the cages of the basement without windows for two months. In the last weeks of their detention, they have been moved above the ground, where they say they have had access to better food and have been treated with kindness.

Peter and Barbie were taken to court about four times, there was no charge every time.

“When I was taken to court, I had my ankles and hands with murderers and rapeers,” Peter said by email.

They also say that they are “mystified” by their detention, with Reynolds adding that they were both treated with respect, but they consider it “huge powerlessness”.

He added: “We were told we were guests. However, when I was taken to court, I had my ankles and hands with killers and rapes.”

For his wife Barbara, the most difficult moment of her captivity was “to see my 80-year-old husband who struggles to enter the back of a police truck with her hands and wandering ankles.”

“The biggest moment was taken out and was divided as a couple after 55 years of marriage to my best friend,” remembers Reynolds.

After arriving in the UK, the couple is shopping for new clothes and Peter visited Barber.

“To reveal the gentleman behind the wild intact hair and a beard,” his family said.

After nearly eight months of “oily and salty” food in prison, Barbie told The Sunday Times that she would like to have a salad and Marmite while Peter was holding on roasted beans.

Peter and Barbie said they would not return to Afghanistan so far.

“We are confident in the many wonderful Afghans who we know to achieve a positive future for our country without us,” they said.

The United Kingdom no longer has an embassy in Afghanistan and warns against all trips to the country, saying it is “extremely dangerous”.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “There is an increased risk that British citizens will be detained in Afghanistan. If you are a British citizen and have been detained in Afghanistan, you may encounter months or years of imprisonment.”