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A British couple has shared their experiences and the emotional aftermath following their release from Taliban detention in Afghanistan, where they were held for over seven months. Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, returned to the UK after being imprisoned without knowledge of the specific charges against them or the reasons behind their sudden release in September. Having dedicated nearly twenty years to charitable work in Afghanistan, their story highlights the stark contrast between life under Taliban rule and in the UK.
During their time in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan province, Barbie described the restrictive environment they lived in, noting that she had to wear a hijab constantly and was not permitted to go out in public alone. Upon returning to the UK, she was struck by the freedoms available, such as the liberty to dress and move about without restrictions. Reflecting on their ordeal, Barbie remarked, “What we’ve been through changes us… You think differently and you see things differently than we did when we used to live here before.”
The couple recounted the harsh conditions they endured while detained in a series of ten different prisons, including Pul-e-Charkhi, a high-security facility near Kabul known for housing dangerous criminals. At one point, they were confined for two months in windowless basement cells. Barbie shared vivid details of overcrowding and poor sanitation in the prison blocks, which housed hundreds of women and children with limited access to clean facilities. She also spoke about the severe impact on her health, revealing, “I became very malnourished and I got anaemia – Peter said I aged 20 years when I next saw him.”
Despite the Taliban’s claim that the couple received adequate medical care and that their human rights were respected during their incarceration, Peter and Barbie described a much harsher reality. After months apart, Peter was taken aback by his wife’s deteriorated condition, saying, “She was no longer a 76-year-old, she was in her 90s,” and noting her difficulty in standing and walking. Demonstrating remarkable forgiveness, Peter expressed a desire to embrace those who imprisoned them and conveyed that he harbors no resentment. He emphasized his hope to continue supporting Afghanistan’s people through ongoing collaboration with the Afghan government, while Barbie offered a message of resilience: “Hang in there, don’t lose your hope.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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