An elderly British couple detained in Afghanistan for almost eight months were released on Friday, the Taliban authorities said, after pressure built to free the pair due to fears over their health.

Taliban officials have refused to detail why Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbara, 76, were arrested in February as they were returning to their home.

"We've been treated very well. We're looking forward to seeing our children," said Barbara, in a red headscarf, standing next to her bearded husband, near a plane on the tarmac of Kabul airport.

"We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens," she added, after Qatar-facilitated negotiations for their release.

The couple were married in Kabul in 1970, and have spent almost two decades living in Afghan

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