Peter ‘beaten’ while in detention,campaigners say (Picture: Reuters)

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’.

The couple sitting with Qatari and British diplomats in Kabul,earlier today (Picture: Reuters)

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.’

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