Sawt Falasteen - Elderly British couple returns to UK after Taliban release

Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, arrived on a flight from the Qatari capital Doha, where they had stayed overnight for medical checks following their release.

The Qatari authorities played a key role in helping free the couple after mounting fears about their health.

Barbie Reynolds was smiling broadly as the couple walked out of the arrivals area at London's Heathrow airport, but did not stop to talk to the waiting press.

The family has spoken of their "immense joy" on hearing that their elderly parents were released.

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

"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 arrested in February as they were returning to their home in Bamiyan province, central Afghanistan.

They 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.

The couple 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, they remained in Afghanistan against the advice of the British embassy.

- 'Afghan citizens' -

The Taliban have not explained why the pair were detained, and Qatar brokered the negotiations for their release.

Speaking on the tarmac at Kabul airport on Friday before they left, Barbie Reynolds said the couple had been treated well and were "looking forward to seeing our children".

"We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens," she added.

They were embraced by family members on arriving in Doha, with their daughter Sarah Entwistle telling AFPTV she was "overwhelmed with gratitude and relief".

In July, independent UN human rights experts called on the Taliban government to free them, warning that they risked "irreparable harm or even death" as their health deteriorated.

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

Taliban foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said on Friday that the couple "had violated the laws of Afghanistan" and were released from custody "following the judicial process".

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the "long-awaited news will come as a huge relief" to the family.

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.

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

T.Ibrahim--SF-PST