Couple's case will soon be resolved, say Taliban

THE case of an elderly British couple imprisoned in Afghanistan "will soon be resolved" and "should not be a cause for concern", the Taliban has said.

- JOHN BESLEY AND ELLIE CRABBE [e-mail]

Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, were arrested as they travelled to their home in Bamyan province, in central Afghanistan, in February.

They were detained, along with a visiting Chinese-American friend, Faye Hall, and their interpreter, Jaya, after flying in a small, rented plane from Kabul, to an airstrip near their home.

The couple have lived in Afghanistan for almost 20 years, and got married in the country in 1970, after falling in love with it when they travelled there as students from the University of Bath.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said the matter was "not that big" but did not go into detail.

"The only thing I can say is that the matter was previously with the Inte-rior Ministry and it has now been handed over to the courts," Mr Qani said.