Elderly British couple Peter and Barbie Reynolds detained by Taliban freed

An elderly British couple who were detained in Afghanistan nearly eight months ago have been freed.

Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband Peter, 80, were detained by the Taliban in February while travelling to their home in Bamyan.

The couple, who had lived in the country for 18 years running school programmes, have been held in a maximum security prison in Kabul.

They were released following a deal mediated by Qatar.

Their friend, Faye Hall, an American, was also arrested but was released as part of a deal hashed out by Qatari officials.

Hall said ‘time was running out’ for Barbie and Peter, who had no idea why they were being held.

University sweethearts Barbie and Peter married in the capital of Kabul in 1970.

They had been running Rebuild, an organisation which provides education and training programmes.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.