The daughter of Barbie and Peter Reynolds who have been detained by the Taliban has said an American woman who was arrested alongside them was dragged ‘kicking and screaming’ away from them
An American woman has been released from captivity by the Taliban in Afghanistan. She was roughly separated and dragged away from a British couple who are still detained, the daughter of the couple has said.
The Taliban released US citizen Faye Hall today in exchange for the Trump administration removing bounties on three senior members of the militant movement. Hall and Barbie Reynolds both “resisted” and “resorted to violence” after being separated, according to Barbie’s daughter Sarah Entwistle.
Ms Entwistle said: “They were dragged kicking and screaming, with Faye ultimately being ripped from Barbie’s arms and thrown into an unmarked car.” Reporting by The Telegraph said Ms Hall was told “we are only dealing with you” after she was taken to court and asked about her friends when she was told of a court order releasing her.
On February 1, Ms Hall, Barbie and her husband Peter Reynolds were arrested with their Afghan interpreter Juya. A Taliban official said they were held by members of the Haqqani network militant group – an Afghan Islamist group that merged with the Taliban – to try and gain concessions from the US.
Ms Hall and the Reynolds were not charged with any crimes following their arrest. Reports, however, say the Taliban scrutinised a course they ran teaching women about mothering skills. The Taliban continues its oppression of female Afghan citizens.
The Taliban government’s interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani had a $10 million (£7.7 million) bounty on his head. This has now been dropped by the US. Ms Entwistle said the release of Ms Hall went against reassurances she had received that detainees would be released at the same time.
Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, were arrested as they travelled to their home in Bamyan province, in central Afghanistan, in February. They both hold Afghan citizenship and married in Kabul in 1970.
The couple, who met at Bath University, refused to leave Afghanistan despite the Taliban takeover in 2021. They have lived in the country for 18 years.
Reynolds’ daughter Sarah Entwistle said the continued detention of her father “poses a serious risk to his life”. She said to The Times that her father is “experiencing tremors in his head and left arm” and her mother is “collapsing due to malnutrition”.
Mr Reynolds has had a chest infection, a double eye infection and serious digestive problems since he was moved to a maximum security prison, she said. “We remain extremely concerned for Dad in particular. Without access to the medication he needs, his continued detention poses a serious risk to his life,” she has said previously.
