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An elderly British couple who were detained by the Taliban for eight months have said they feared they would be executed in the first interview since their release.
Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband Peter, 80, were arrested and detained without charge for nearly eight months in Afghanistan while travelling to their home in Bamyan province. They arrived back in the UK on Friday after they were freed.
The couple, who had lived in Afghanistan for almost two decades while running an education company, were held in a maximum security prison and endured long periods of separation.
“We had begun to think that we would never be released, or that we were even being held until we were executed,” Mr Reynolds told The Sunday Times.
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The couple revealed that they were held in solitary confinement together for the last few months, so were unaware that they were being released when they were taken to Kabul airport.
“The last few months we have been together in solitary confinement, cut off from all awareness of what was going on in the world,” he said.
Mrs Reynolds said they had been told “nothing” about their release.
“Even when we were taken to Kabul airport we thought maybe we were just flying somewhere for medical treatment.”
Instead they were put on a Qatari aircraft and flown to Doha. Mr Reynolds said that the worst moment of the ordeal came when the couple faced a period of separation while detailed, meaning they spent their 55th anniversary apart.
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“Being led away and separated as a couple after 55 years of marriage to my best friend was the hardest thing. I pleaded to at least let me see her on our 55th wedding anniversary but they said no”, he said.
Their son, Jonathan Reynolds, said the family was “thrilled” and “overwhelmed with thankfulness” that the couple had been released and returned to the UK.
In a statement on Friday, the family said: “We are overwhelmed with gratitude and relief to share that our parents, Peter and Barbie Reynolds, have been released after seven months and 21 days in detention by the Taliban.
“This is a moment of immense joy for our family, and we are deeply thankful to everyone who played a role in securing their release.”
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The family said they wanted to extend their appreciation to the emir of Qatar for his leadership and compassion, and also thanked Mohammed Al Khulaifi and Mirdef Al Qashouti for their “tireless diplomatic efforts and unwavering support throughout this ordeal”.
The statement said: “Their dedication and humanity have made an unforgettable impact on our lives.
“We are also extremely grateful to the UK Government for its commitment and support to our family, including ensuring that our parents had access to essential medication during their detention and upon release.
“We further thank the US government for its support to the US members of our family, and to the UN special rapporteurs for their intervention and support.
“This experience has reminded us of the power of diplomacy, empathy, and international cooperation.
“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.
“We are forever grateful to the Qataris for standing with us during this difficult time.
“Thank you for giving us our family back.”
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There were emotional scenes as the couple were reunited with their daughter Sarah Entwistle, when the couple landed in Doha, Qatar, on Friday afternoon.
Speaking to Sky News from Kabul Airport on Friday, Mrs Reynolds said when asked if the couple would return to Afghanistan again in the future: “If we can, we are Afghan citizens.”
The Taliban have never explained what prompted the couple’s detention.
A spokesman at the Taliban government’s foreign ministry, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, said on X the couple had “violated Afghan law” and were released from prison on Friday after a court hearing.
He did not say what law the couple were accused of breaking.
