A British couple released after nearly eight months in detention in Afghanistan have said they feared being executed by the Taliban. Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, arrived at Heathrow on Saturday and were reunited with their family.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, Peter said: 'We began to think that we would never be released, or that we were even being held until we were executed.' He added that they were never told why they were imprisoned after their arrest on 1 February.
Barbie said the toughest part of the ordeal was 'seeing my 80-year-old husband struggling to get into the back of a police truck with his hands and ankles chained'. The couple, who ran a charitable training programme approved by the Taliban, were arrested with their interpreter Juya and an American friend, Faye Hall, who was released in March.
The couple's four children expressed 'immense joy' at their release. In a joint statement, they said: 'This experience has reminded us of the power of diplomacy, empathy and international cooperation.' Their son Jonathan told the BBC he was 'ecstatic and massively grateful' to those involved in securing their release.
The couple married in Kabul in 1970 and spent almost two decades in Afghanistan. Despite the ordeal, Barbie said they hoped to return: 'We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens.'
