British couple held for months in Afghanistan arrive back in UK

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LONDON (AP) — A British couple held in Afghanistan for more than seven months on undisclosed charges arrived in the U.K. on Saturday after being released by the Taliban.

Peter and Barbie Reynolds, aged 80 and 76, respectively, who were freed on Friday, were pictured smiling and looking to be in good health as they arrived at Heathrow Airport.

The couple had lived in Afghanistan for 18 years and ran an education and training organization in the country’s central province of Bamiyan, choosing to remain in the country after the Taliban seized power.

They had been held for nearly eight months following their arrest as they travelled to their home in Bamyan province, central Afghanistan, in February. They had been held in a maximum security prison, and faced long periods of separation.

Their plight underlined the concerns of the West over the actions of the Taliban since they overthrew the country’s U.S.-backed government in a 2021 lightning offensive.

Analysts say the move by the Taliban, which was facilitated by Qatar, could be part of a broader effort to gain international recognition.

Earlier this month, the Taliban said they had reached an agreement with U.S. envoys on a prisoner exchange as part of an effort to normalize relations. The meeting came after the Taliban in March released U.S. citizen George Glezmann, who was abducted while traveling through Afghanistan as a tourist.

It remains unclear what, if anything, the Taliban had been promised for the Reynolds' release. However, Afghanistan’s list of needs is long.

The Western aid money that flowed into it after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion has been severely cut as needs continue to mount, particularly after a magnitude 6 quake on Aug. 31. Its economy remains on shaky ground.

But Western nations remain hesitant to provide money to the Taliban government, citing their restrictions on women and personal freedoms.