UK woman fears for elderly father detained by Taliban in Afghanistan

A British couple in their 70s were arrested by the Taliban last month

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Taliban security personnel in Kabul, Afghanistan. File photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 6:54am, 17 Mar 2025Updated: 11:30am, 17 Mar 2025

The daughter of an elderly British man detained with his wife by the Taliban in Afghanistan has expressed grave fears for his health, a report said on Sunday.

Peter and Barbie Reynolds, who are in their 70s, were detained last month with Chinese- American friend Faye Hall, as they travelled to their home in central Bamyan province.

“We hear he now has a chest infection, a double eye infection and serious digestive issues due to poor nutrition. Without immediate access to necessary medication, his life is in serious danger,” the Sunday Times newspaper quoted his daughter, Sarah Entwistle, as saying.

“Our desperate appeal to the Taliban is that they release them to their home, where they have the medication he needs to survive,” she added.

Entwistle said that according to information provided by a “reliable source” her 79-year-old father had been “beaten and shackled” and was in “immense pain”.

The report said Barbie Reynolds, 75, had also been told she could no longer see her husband.

Entwistle described her parents’ alleged separation as a “shocking escalation”.