Taliban say efforts to release a British couple from Afghan prison not yet complete

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban said Wednesday that efforts to free a British couple from an Afghan prison are not yet complete and denied that their rights were being violated despite concerns from their families and U.N. officials.

Peter and Barbie Reynolds, who are in their 70s, were arrested in early February after being taken from their home in central Bamiyan province to the capital, Kabul.

The husband and wife run an organization that provides education and training programs. Family members in the U.K. have said they are being mistreated and held on undisclosed charges.

U.N. human rights experts on Monday called for the couple’s release, warning their physical and mental health was deteriorating rapidly and that they were at risk of irreparable harm or even death.

The Taliban’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi rejected concerns about rights violations.

“They are in constant contact with their families,” Muttaqi told reporters at a media briefing in Kabul. “Consular services are available. Efforts are underway to secure their release. These steps have not yet been completed. Their human rights are being respected. They are being given full access to treatment, contact and accommodation.”

He did not say what steps were being taken to secure their release.

According to the U.N. experts, the couple’s spell in detention included time in a maximum-security facility and later in underground cells, without sunlight, before being moved to above-ground cells at the General Directorate of Intelligence in Kabul.

Peter needs heart medication and, during his detention, has had two eye infections and intermittent tremors in his head and down his left arm. He recently collapsed, the experts added, while Barbie suffers from anaemia and remains weak.

Officials from the U.K. Foreign Ministry visited the couple on July 17, family members said.

Peter and Barbie have no bed or furniture and sleep on a mattress on the floor, the family said in a statement Sunday.

Peter’s face is red, peeling and bleeding, likely due to the return of skin cancer that urgently needs removing. “We, their four adult children, have written privately to the Taliban leadership twice, pleading for them to uphold their beliefs of compassion, mercy, fairness, and human dignity," the children added.

Afghanistan's Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, speaks to the media about the latest efforts to free a British couple from an Afghan prison, during a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)

Afghanistan's Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, center, speaks to the media about the latest efforts to free a British couple from an Afghan prison, during a press conference, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)

DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.

The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.

A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.

“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.

“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”

Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.

Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.

The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)