The Taliban arrested a British couple in Afghanistan for teaching parenting skills to mothers in the country.
Peter and Barbie Reynolds stayed on in the country after the rise of the backwards tyrannical group in 2021. They have been running schools in Afghanistan for 18 years.
The Sunday Times reported that the Reynolds were arrested at their home in Bamiyan province on February 1 with employees at their schools interrogated by Taliban police.
Their daughter, Sarah Entwistle, spoke to the outlet about their ordeal. Her parents were able to message her for three days before communication ceased. They managed to tell their children they were detained at the interior ministry.
Sarah said: » This is really bad. My mother is 75 and my father almost 80, and [he] needs his heart medication after a mini-stroke. »
The Reynolds ran five training schools in Kabul, including a mother and children’s school that was reportedly approved by the Taliban.
Barbie was even awarded a certificate of appreciation from the regime, becoming the first woman to receive such recognition.
Sarah said: “They were just trying to help the country they loved.
“The idea that they are being held because they were teaching mothers with children is outrageous.”
The couple’s four children have written a letter to the Taliban, urging for their parents’ release.
In the letter, they emphasised that Peter and Barbie are dual British and Afghan nationals and said: “We do not understand the reasons behind their arrest.
“They have communicated their trust in you, and that as Afghan citizens they will be treated well.”
Since taking control of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban has imposed severe restrictions on women, banning secondary and university education, and barring women from parks, swimming pools, and gyms.
The situation for women in the country remains uncertain, with promises to reopen universities yet to be fulfilled.
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