An elderly British couple arrested and detained in Afghanistan will be freed “soon”, the Taliban has told The Telegraph.

Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, who have worked in the wartorn country for around 18 years, were arrested while returning to their home in central Bamiyan province on Feb 6.

Mr and Mrs Reynolds, who met at Bath University, have been running training projects in schools in the country since 2009.

Abdul Mateen Qane’h, a spokesman for the Taliban ministry of interior, told The Telegraph: “Due to certain considerations, four people have been arrested.”

He added: “They include two British nationals who hold Afghan ID cards and passports, a Chinese-American national, and their translator.

“I cannot give you a date, but efforts are going on to solve their problem soon,” he said when asked about the British pair.

Mr Qane’h added that they are being well cared for and have received medicine for their health issues.

He refused to say why they were arrested because “the investigation is not yet final”.

‘They kept to the rules’

The couple, originally from Somerset, had remained in the country after the Taliban overthrew the government in 2021, despite most of their staff, and most other westerners, leaving.

Sarah Entwistle, the couple’s daughter who lives in Daventry, Northants, previously said her parents “could not leave when Afghans were in their hour of need”.

“They were meticulous about keeping to the rules even as they kept changing,” she told The Sunday Times.

Since taking power in August 2021, the Taliban has systematically restricted women’s rights in Afghanistan, including their access to education.

It is not known exactly what Mr and Mrs Reynolds were arrested for, but projects run by them include ones training mothers and children.

The scheme had apparently been approved by the local authorities despite the Taliban’s ban on women working and education for girls older than the age of 12.

Ms Entwistle and her three siblings had written an open letter to the Taliban petitioning for their release.

It said: “We recognise that there have been instances where exchanges have been beneficial for your government and western nations.

“However, our parents have consistently expressed their commitment to Afghanistan, stating that they would rather sacrifice their lives than become part of ransom negotiations or be traded.”

The letter added: “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.”

When the couple were first arrested at the beginning of the month, they were able to keep in contact with their four children by text message.

They told their family they were being “held by the interior ministry” and assured them they were fine.

Just three days later, however, the texts stopped and their children had heard nothing from them since.

‘We want an explanation’

The couple’s granddaughter had declined to comment on the case when approached by The Telegraph on Monday.

Ms Entwistle said they had wanted to give the Taliban an opportunity “to explain their reasons” because Mr and Mrs Reynolds had “always sought to honour” the group.

She told Times Radio: “We are now urgently calling on the British consulate to do everything in their power to get us answers and to put as much pressure as they can on the Taliban for their release.”

The UK had closed its embassy in Kabul and withdrew its diplomats from the country after the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

The Foreign Office says support for British nationals in Afghanistan is therefore “severely limited” and advises against all travel to the country.