Joyful Reunion: British Couple Released from Taliban Detention Returns to the UK

The son of a British couple detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan for nearly eight months has said he is 'overwhelmed' by their release.

Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, who lived in Afghanistan for nearly two decades, are due to fly to the UK on Saturday after being reunited with their daughter in Qatar.

Jonathan Reynolds told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he was 'ecstatic and massively grateful' to those who were involved in securing their release.

The Taliban, who detained the couple on their way home on 1 February, said the pair had broken Afghan laws and were released after judicial proceedings - but the Islamist group has never disclosed a reason for their detention.

There were emotional scenes on Friday as the couple's daughter, Sarah Entwistle, met her parents as they stepped off the plane in Doha.

'We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens,' Barbie told Agence France-Presse at Kabul airport after Qatar-brokered negotiations for their release.

Their son Jonathan echoed those hopes, saying 'their desire would be to carry on living there and to do the work they were doing.'

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer praised the 'vital role' played by Qatar in securing their release.

Peter and Barbie Reynolds married in Kabul in 1970 and spent the last 18 years running a charitable training programme approved by local Taliban officials when the armed group reclaimed power in 2021.

'They have not just a heart for the people of Afghanistan, but they have strategy as well, and the work they've been doing has been very fruitful and has a massively positive impact,' Jonathan told the BBC.

He said a few weeks ago he managed to share the results of 'really encouraging' reports about their programmes with his parents over the phone.

The couple's affection for Afghanistan was demonstrated by their decision to remain in Bamiyan province after the regime seized control in August 2021, while many Westerners left.

The couple's release follows months of public lobbying by their family, who described the harrowing conditions of their detention.

They are currently receiving medical checks in Doha before returning to London on a commercial flight on Saturday morning, as their family continues to advocate for their work in Afghanistan despite obstacles.