British couple held by Taliban for months feared they would be executed

Peter and Barbie Reynolds, 80 and 76, said it was never explained to them why they were being held.

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Peter, 80, and wife Barbie Reynolds, 76, said it was never explained to them why they were being held, nor why they were released.

The couple, who have run a charity programme in Afghanistan for almost two decades, arrived back in the UK on Saturday after seven and a half months in detention.

"Good, old-fashioned diplomacy" ended their ordeal, Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East, told the BBC, and again thanked the government of Qatar, which helped mediate their release.

Both suffered health problems while in prison, including severe anaemia. Taliban officials maintained they received adequate medical care during their detention and that their human rights were respected.