Sawt Falasteen - Elderly British couple released by Taliban arrive in Qatar

Taliban officials have declined to say why they arrested Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, in February as they were returning to their home.

"We've been treated very well. We're looking forward to seeing our children," said Barbie, in a red headscarf, standing next to her bearded husband, near a plane on the tarmac at Kabul airport.

"We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens," she added, after Qatar-brokered negotiations for their release.

Later on Friday, they arrived in the Qatari capital Doha, where they were embraced by their daughter Sarah Entwistle and other family members, television images showed.

Entwistle told AFPTV she was "overwhelmed with gratitude and relief".

"This is a moment of immense joy for our family. We are deeply thankful to everyone who played a role in securing their release."

A Qatari diplomat said the British couple would receive medical checks in Doha before leaving for London on Saturday on a commercial flight.

The couple were married in Kabul in 1970, and have spent almost two decades living in Afghanistan running educational programmes for women and children. They also became Afghan citizens.

When the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the couple remained in Afghanistan against the advice of the British embassy.

- 'Recovery' -

Foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said the couple were handed over to British special representative to Afghanistan Richard Lindsay.

"Two British nationals named Peter and Barbara Reynolds, who had violated the laws of Afghanistan, were released from custody today following the judicial process," Balkhi said.

The copule's family welcomed their release.

"This experience has reminded us of the power of diplomacy, empathy and international cooperation," their four children said in a joint statement.

"While the road to recovery will be long as our parents regain their health and spend time with their family, today is a day of tremendous joy and relief."

The couple were first held in a maximum security facility, "then in underground cells, without daylight, before being transferred" to the intelligence services in Kabul, UN experts have said.

In late July, independent UN human rights experts called on the Taliban government to free the couple, warning that they risked "irreparable harm or even death" as a result of the "rapid deterioration" of their physical and mental health.

The couple's family had made repeated pleas for their release citing their failing health.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed their release, saying the "long-awaited news will come as a huge relief to them and their family".

"I want to pay tribute to the vital role played by Qatar," including the emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, "in securing their freedom", Starmer said in a statement.

- Travel advice -

The British government advises citizens against travelling to Afghanistan, warning that its ability to offer consular assistance "is extremely limited".

Russia is the only country to have officially recognised the Taliban government, which has imposed a strict version of Islamic law and been accused of sweeping human rights violations.

Only a handful of embassies have reopened in the capital after it was overrun by the Taliban as NATO forces withdrew.

Foreign ministry spokesman Balkhi said the government "does not view the matters of citizens from a political or transactional angle", adding that "Afghans, wherever they may be, should also receive consular services".

It comes after US special envoy on hostages, Adam Boehler, made a rare visit to Kabul on Saturday to discuss the possibility of a prisoner exchange.

At least one US citizen, Mahmood Habibi, is held in Afghanistan.

Dozens of foreign nationals have been arrested since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021 following the NATO pullout.

M.AbuKhalil--SF-PST