Who is the British couple in their 70s arrested by Taliban in Afghanistan?

The ruling Taliban have arrested a British couple in their 70s in Afghanistan.

Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife, Barbie, 75, were returning to their home in the Nayak area of central Bamiyan province on February 1 when they were detained.

The couple’s daughter, Sarah Entwistle, said she had not heard from her parents in more than two weeks.

Here’s all we know about the arrest.

The arrest

After their arrest, the couple were initially allowed to communicate with their four adult children by text message.

Although the family was aware that the interior ministry was holding their parents, they were reassured that everything was “fine,” according to the BBC.

But after three days, the texts stopped.

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Since then, the children have not heard anything.

Sarah Entwistle, who lives in Daventry, Northamptonshire, told the BBC, “It’s been over two weeks since the messages stopped, and they were taken into custody. We would like to Taliban to release them to go back to their home and continue their work.”

The pair was arrested by police while they were heading to their home in Nayak, Bamiyan province, accompanied by their Chinese-American friend Faye Hall, who had arranged for the couple to return from Kabul in a private jet.

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Employees of the couple were questioned during the raid on the property. According to the couple’s children, the police questioned them about whether they were missionaries.

According to Taliban official sources who spoke to the BBC, they arrested British citizens they suspected of working for a Bamiyan province non-governmental organisation (NGO).

According to an official, they were arrested about 20 days ago for utilising a plane without notifying the border security forces or Bamiyan police headquarters.

Entwistle has said, “My mother is 75 and my father almost 80 and (he) needs his heart medication after a mini-stroke. They were just trying to help the country they loved. The idea they are being held because they were teaching mothers with children is outrageous.”

Described as “the most honourable people I have ever met,” the employee claimed that Reynolds’ condition was “not good” and that he had been refused access to heart medicines.

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Their work in Afghanistan

The couple has a long association in the country.

They were married in Kabul in 1970 after first meeting at the University of Bath.

The couple runs Rebuild, an organisation that provides education and training programmes for businesses, government agencies, educational organisations and nongovernmental groups, according to The Associated Press.

Since 2009, they have been running training projects in five schools in Kabul.

The Sunday Times, which first reported the story, said one project was for mothers and children.

The local authorities had supposedly accepted the effort, even though the Taliban had banned women from working and girls over 12 from attending school.

When the Taliban regained power in August 2021, most of their employees left, as did most Westerners, but Reynolds was unwilling to leave.

Entwistle told the Sunday Times, “They said they could not leave when Afghans were in their hour of need. They were meticulous about keeping by the rules even as they kept changing.”

“The Taliban leaders were so impressed and inspired by the programmes Mum and Dad were offering, they said they would like them set up in every province of Afghanistan. Mum was the first woman to receive ‘a certificate of appreciation; from the Taliban.”

An appeal

In an open letter to the Taliban, Entwistle and her three siblings noted that the couple had dual Afghan and British citizenship and that they had put their faith in the new government.

“We do not understand the reasons behind their arrest. They have communicated their trust in you, and that as Afghan citizens they will be treated well,” they wrote.

“We recognise that there have been instances where exchanges have been beneficial for your government and Western nations. However, our parents have consistently expressed their commitment to Afghanistan, stating that they would rather sacrifice their lives than become part of ransom negotiations or be traded.”

The Foreign Office is aware of the arrest. However, there’s little they can do. The UK does not recognise the Taliban and has no embassy in Kabul.

The children said their parents had asked the British government not to get involved with their case, as per AP.

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Taliban’s ban on women working for NGOs

The Taliban declared a ban on women working for NGOs in 2022 and in December last year.

Last December, they said they would close all national and foreign non-governmental groups in Afghanistan employing women.

“In case of lack of cooperation, all activities of that institution will be cancelled and the activity licence of that institution, granted by the ministry, will also be cancelled.”

With inputs from agencies