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Taliban confirms arrest of UK couple, Chinese-American amid calls for release
The four adult children of Peter and Barbie Reynolds, the detained UK couple, said their parents have lived in Afghanistan for 18 years.
The Taliban on Monday announced that they have detained two British citizens, a Chinese-American, and their Afghan translator in the central province of Bamiyan.
The arrest of the group, which was confirmed by the Afghan Interior Ministry, has sparked calls for the immediate release of the detainees, particularly from the family of the British couple.
"Based on certain considerations, the authorities have detained four people: two British citizens holding Afghan papers, one person with Chinese and American nationality and their translator," Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, told AFP.
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"Efforts are underway to resolve this issue," Qani said shortly after the daughter of the two Britons -- Peter and Barbie Reynolds, called on London to secure her parents' release.
The couple had been running training programs in Afghanistan for years. The four adult children of Peter and Barbie Reynolds said their parents have lived in Afghanistan for 18 years, remaining after the Taliban toppled the Western-backed government in 2021.
Meanwhile, Britain's Foreign Office confirmed the detention of the two British nationals adding that the government was supporting their family.
"We are supporting the family of two British nationals who are detained in Afghanistan," a spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.
Taliban says 'will try to release arrested British couple as soon as possible’
The Taliban on Monday said that it will “endeavour” to release a British couple detained in Afghanistan “as soon as possible”, the BBC has reported.
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In a statement reported by the BBC on Monday, Taliban official Abdul Mateen Qani said: “A series of considerations are being taken into account, and after evaluation, we will endeavour to release them as soon as possible.”
Qani added the three foreign nationals had Afghan passports and national ID cards.
Taliban released a Canadian soldier, two Americans last month
According to news agency AFP, these detainees are not the first foreigners to be detained by the Taliban authorities.
Earlier in January, a former Canadian soldier, David Lavery, was released after more than two months in captivity, under a deal negotiated by Qatar.
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A week earlier, two Americans held by the Taliban, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, were freed in exchange for Afghan fighter Khan Mohammed, convicted of narco-terrorism in the United States.
Two other Americans, George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi, are still being held in the country.
