Son of British couple held by Taliban 'ecstatic' as they return to UK

The son of a British couple who were detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan for nearly eight months has expressed surprise at their release. After being reunited with their daughter in Qatar, Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, who lived in Afghanistan for almost two decades, are scheduled to fly to the United Kingdom on Saturday. Jonathan Reynolds said on BBC Radio 4's Today show that he was ecstatic and tremendously grateful to those who were instrumental in securing their release. The Taliban, who detained the pair on their way home on February 1, said the pair had broken Afghan law and was released after judicial hearings, but the Islamist party has never given a reason for their arrest.

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

We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. After Qatar-brokered talks for their release, Afghan civilians, Barbie told Agence France-Presse at Kabul airport. Jonathan, their son, shared those aspirations, saying,

their intention would be to continue living there and do the work they were doing.

Sir Keir Starmer, the British Prime Minister, praised Qatar's important part in ensuring their release. When the armed group regained power in 2021, Peter and Barbie Reynolds married in Kabul in 1970 and spent the next 18 years running a charitable training program that had been approved by local Taliban officials.

They have not only a heart for the people of Afghanistan, but they also have a vision,

Jonathan said,

and the work they've been doing has been highly fruitful and has a massively positive effect. He said a few weeks ago that he had been able to share the findings of

highly encouraging

reports about their programs with his parents over the phone. Barbie's first reaction, he said, was that they had

more work to do.

How do you do that in a world where you are not welcome,

Jonathan said.

They demonstrated their love for Afghanistan by continuing in Bamiyan province after the authoritarian regime took power in August 2021, although many other Westerners left. The couple's deposition came after months of public advocacy by their families, who have outlined the harrowing conditions of their detention. Jonathan said in July that his father had been suffering serious convulsions and his mother was numb from anaemia and hunger. During the final stage of talks over the couple's release, a Qatari official told the BBC that they were moved from Kabul's central jail to a larger facility with improved conditions. During their detention, Taliban leaders received appropriate medical attention, and their human rights were respected. Before heading to London, the two were receiving medical checks in Doha, Qatari capital. According to AFP, they will land on a commercial flight on Saturday morning. When the Taliban government came back to power in Kabul, the UK does not recognize it and closed its embassy. Since support for British nationals in Afghanistan is now severely limited, the Foreign Office says, and recommends against all travel to the country.