British couple detained by Taliban in Afghanistan freed after seven months

An elderly British couple, Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband Peter, 80, who had been detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan since February 2025, have been safely released following mediation led by Qatar. The couple, who have lived in Afghanistan for 18 years running an education and training organization called Rebuild, were initially detained without charge and held in a maximum security prison in Kabul. Their detention sparked urgent pleas from their four adult children fearing for their parents' lives. Despite offers from the British government to evacuate them after the Taliban takeover, the couple chose to stay to support the local community. They have now been flown to Doha and are on their way home to be reunited with family. The release marks the end of a nearly eight-month ordeal during which communication with the couple was cut off, and their reasons for detention remained unclear.