An elderly British couple, Peter (80) and Barbie Reynolds (76), have been freed by the Taliban after nearly eight months in detention and reunited with their daughter in Qatar.

The couple, who lived in Afghanistan for almost two decades running a training charity, were detained on 1 February and released through Qatari mediation.

Their family, who had raised alarms over their deteriorating health in prison, expressed deep gratitude to Qatar, the UK, the US, and the UN for their role in securing their release, the BBC has reported.

After medical checks in Doha, the couple will travel to the UK, though their longtime home is in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan province.