Freedom at Last: Detained British Couple Released from Taliban Custody

Mon Oct 13 2025 19:47:13 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

After nearly eight months of detention in Afghanistan, Peter and Barbie Reynolds are finally free, thanks to Qatari mediation. Their turbulent journey highlights the precarious situation for foreign nationals in Taliban-controlled regions.

Peter and Barbie Reynolds, a British couple detained by the Taliban for almost eight months, have been released and are set to undergo medical checks in Qatar before returning to the UK. The couple, who lived in Afghanistan for nearly two decades, were arrested while trying to leave the country. Despite their long-standing contributions to local communities, their detention raised serious concerns about their health and safety, prompting public outcry and family lobbying for their release.

A British couple who were detained for nearly eight months by the Taliban in Afghanistan have officially been released. Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, were stopped on February 1 while attempting to return home after living in the region for close to two decades.

The couple was freed through Qatari mediation, with a Qatari official confirming their travel to Qatar for medical checks before heading back to the UK, despite maintaining a permanent home in Afghanistan's Bamiyan province.

The Taliban has refrained from disclosing the reasons for their detention, even after four court appearances. Peter and Barbie were well-known for their commitment to the Afghan community, having run a charitable training program that had been approved by local authorities after the Taliban regained control in 2021.

Family members have described the couple's longstanding love for Afghanistan and the difficult circumstances surrounding their imprisonment. After months of lobbying for their release, their son Jonathan expressed worry for their health, revealing that his father had been suffering serious convulsions and his mother had become severely malnourished.

Recently, an American woman held with them highlighted that the elderly couple's health was rapidly deteriorating in prison, bringing global attention to their plight. The UK government does not officially recognize the Taliban and maintains a strong advisory against travel to Afghanistan, underscoring the risks faced by foreign nationals in the area.