British couple in their 70s arrested by Taliban

It is reported that a British couple in their seventies have been arrested by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The couple are 79-year-old Peter Reynolds and 75-year-old Barbie Reynolds, who were detained on February 1 as they returned to their home in Bamiyan.

The couple have been running training programs in Afghanistan for 18 years. Their daughter, Sarah Entwistle, told the BBC that she has not heard from her parents for over two weeks. The specific reasons for the couple's arrest are currently unclear.

It is understood that their projects include a program to train mothers and children, which had apparently been approved by local authorities, despite the Taliban banning women from working and girls over the age of 12 from receiving education. The Reynolds first met at the University of Bath and married in Kabul in 1970. Since 2009, they have been running programs to train mothers and children in five schools in Kabul and a Bamiyan project.

Although most of their staff, along with the majority of Westerners, left after the Taliban regained power in August 2021, the Reynolds insisted on staying. After being arrested, the couple were initially able to keep in touch with their four children via text message. Their family knew that their parents were being held by the Ministry of Interior and were assured that they were "okay." However, the text messages stopped three days later, and the children have not heard from them since.

Ms. Entwistle told the BBC: "It's been over two weeks since the messages stopped, and they have been detained. We want the Taliban to release them so they can return to their home and continue their work." She also stated: "They said that when the people of Afghanistan are in distress, they cannot leave. Even as the rules kept changing, they meticulously followed them."

According to PA news agency, citing an employee, the couple were arrested along with their American friend, Faye Holle, and their company's translator. The employee described the couple as "the most honest people I have ever met" and said that Mr. Reynolds had been refused access to his heart medication and his condition was "not good."

Ms. Entwistle and her three siblings have written to the Taliban, pleading for the release of their parents. In their letter, they wrote: "We do not understand the reason for their arrest. They have expressed their trust in you and believe that as citizens of Afghanistan, they will be treated well. We recognize that in some cases, exchanges are beneficial to your government and Western countries. However, our parents have always expressed their commitment to Afghanistan and have stated that they would rather sacrifice their lives than be part of ransom negotiations or deals."

The British Foreign Office is aware of the detention of two British nationals in Afghanistan. However, assistance is limited because the UK does not recognize the Taliban and does not have an embassy in Kabul. Taliban official sources told the BBC that they had arrested British nationals who they believed were working for a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Bamiyan province. One official claimed that they were arrested about 20 days ago because they used an aircraft without notifying the Bamiyan Police Headquarters or border security forces.

The Taliban announced a ban on women working for NGOs in 2022, and last December, Al Jazeera reported that the government said it would close any NGO that employed women.