Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband Peter, 80, were detained by the Taliban in February while travelling to their home in Bamyan.

The couple, who had lived in the country for 18 years running school programmes, have been held in a maximum security prison in Kabul.

They were never formally charged.

Campaigners say that inside the walls of Pul-e-Charkhi Prison, Peter was ‘beaten and shackled’ and Barbie only offered one meal a day.

They were flown to Doha following a deal mediated by Qatar.

Peter told Sky News: ‘We are just very thankful.’

Barbie added: ‘We’ve been treated very well. We’re looking forward to seeing our children.

‘We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens.’

Peter and Barbie have five children, 17 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

In a statement on the Free Peter and Barbie website, their children said: ‘We are overwhelmed with gratitude and relief to share that our parents, Peter and Barbie Reynolds, have been released after seven months and 21 days in detention by the Taliban.

‘This is a moment of immense joy for our family, and we are deeply thankful to everyone who played a role in securing their release.’

They also praised the UK and US governments, as well as top Qatari diplomats, for their help.

‘This experience has reminded us of the power of diplomacy, empathy, and international cooperation,’ the statement added.

‘While the road to recovery will be long as our parents regain their health and spend time with their family, today is a day of tremendous joy and relief.

Their friend, Faye Hall, a Chinese-American, was also held but was released as part of a deal hashed out by Qatari officials. Their local translator was also detained.

Hall said ‘time was running out’ for Barbie and Peter, who had no idea why they were being held.

University sweethearts Barbie and Peter married in the capital of Kabul in 1970, later becoming Afghan citizens to live in their ‘home’.

They had been running Rebuild, an organisation which teaches women and their children about parenting and conflict resolution.

When the Taliban seized control in 2021, the couple refused to leave, saying they ‘couldn’t leave the country and the people they love, in their darkest hour’, a website calling for their release says.

Far from being persecuted, Taliban officials invited them to speak about their work and gave Barbie the first woman’s ‘Certificate of Appreciation’.

Why they were detained remains unclear. They told their family over a prison phone call that the Taliban said a private plane that Hall had rented did not have proper landing permission.

Taliban forces raided their home following their arrest, telling the couple that they found 59 books that were ‘against Islam’.

More than 30 of their employees were grilled and officials questioned the authenticity of Barbie and Peter’s Afghan passports, their family say.

The couple’s health quickly deteriorated while in jail as they spent hours chained, sitting on the floor while waiting for court appearances.

Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani said in April that the couple’s detainment was ‘not that big’.

He added: ‘God willing, their problem will soon be resolved and a shariah decision will be made. It is a small matter and should not be a cause for concern.’

Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the news of the couple’s release, adding: ‘I want to pay tribute to the vital role played by Qatar.’

Minister Falconer, Minister for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, said: ‘I am relieved to hear that Peter and Barbie Reynolds are no longer detained in Afghanistan, and their ordeal has come to an end. I look forward to them being reunited with their family soon.’