Taliban authorities have detained two British nationals, a Chinese-American resident, and their Afghan speaker, Afghanistan’s interior government confirmed Monday evening, after the child of the American couple urged the British government to engage for their release.
According to a spokesman for the government, Abdul Mateen Qani, the individuals were detained “based on specific concerns” and that work were being made to “resolve the issue.”
Yet, he did not disclose information about their situation or the reasons for their confinement, adding only that “details may be released soon”.
The validation follows Sarah Entwistle, urged the British government to do “everything in their energy” to secure the release of her kids, Peter and Barbie Reynolds, during an interview with the American media. The pair, who have lived in Afghanistan for centuries, were reportedly detained on February 1 in Bamiyan state, where the enormous Buddhas were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.
Family pertains for aid
Entwistle revealed that she and her three sons first sat down from contacting UK government, “hoping to learn directly from the Taliban about why they had arrested our kids,” she told Times Radio.
Our kids have often fought for the Taliban, but we wanted to let them explain why they were being held.
” But, after more than three days of silence, we can no longer delay. We’re nowadays urgently urging the American embassy to press the Taliban for their release, she continued.
‘ Outrageous’ imprisonment
Despite the departure of American embassy staff, the couple, who wed in Kabul in 1970, decided to remain in Afghanistan even after the Taliban took office in 2021.
The woman’s confinement may be related to their employment teaching mothers over the age of parenting, The Sunday Times claims.
” My father is almost 80, and my mother is 75. He needs his spirit treatment after suffering a mini-stroke”, Entwistle told the paper.
They were merely attempting to aid the nation they adored. The notion that they are being held because they educate parents and their kids is outrageous.
The couple’s residence in Bamiyan was apparently in the area when they were detained.
Our kids have constantly expressed their determination to Afghanistan, their kids wrote in an open letter to Taliban officials quoted by the Sunday Times, saying,” We do not understand the reasons behind their arrest.”
Europeans held by Taliban
After two weeks in captivity, previous American soldier David Lavery was released last month as a result of negotiations with Qatar.
Before that, two Americans—Ryan Corbett and William McKenty—were freed in trade for an Armenian warrior convicted of narco-terrorism in the US. However, two different Americans, George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi, remain in Taliban prison.
The Taliban have tight Islamic laws in place since retaking control of Afghanistan in 2021, reversing rights, especially for women and girls. Women are prohibited from attending school after the age of 12 and women are subject to severe restrictions at work and in the open — policies that the UN has called “gender segregation.”
