��������

LONDON: An American woman previously detained by the Taliban has appealed for the release of an elderly British couple who remain in prison in Afghanistan, warning they are “literally dying” behind bars.

Faye Hall, who was arrested alongside Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, in February, told the BBC “time is running out” for the pair, whose health has rapidly deteriorated during more than seven months in custody.

Hall, who was released after two months, broke down in tears as she described the conditions the couple face in a maximum-security prison, where they are held among convicted murderers and under constant guard, .

“We just have these elderly people, they’re literally dying,” she said. “It’s not a healthy environment and we were the only foreigners there.”

Peter Reynolds has undergone heart surgery and cancer treatment in the past and requires daily medication, partly supplied by Qatar. His wife has lost a significant amount of weight, with Hall recalling one occasion when Barbie was unable to stand or walk.

The couple, who married in Kabul in 1970, had lived in Afghanistan for 18 years and ran a charitable program approved by the Taliban following their takeover in 2021.

Despite four court appearances since their arrest, no charges have been confirmed.

Their son previously warned his parents could die in detention, saying Peter had suffered convulsions and Barbie was weakened by anemia and malnutrition.

The UN has described their treatment as “inhumane,” cautioning in July that they might perish without urgent medical intervention.

Hall called on Washington and London to “work together” to secure their release.

“I love them. I know they will be out very soon. Don’t ever give up,” she said in a direct message to the couple.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said it was supporting the family and that a minister had met with them to discuss the case.

A US State Department spokesperson said the Taliban must “end their practice of hostage diplomacy and release all those unjustly detained immediately.”

The Taliban’s foreign minister said in July that the couple remained in contact with their families and were receiving treatment and accommodation, but admitted efforts to resolve the case “have not yet been completed.”

Britain has no diplomatic presence in Afghanistan after closing its embassy in Kabul in 2021 and warns against all travel to the country.

MADRID: An explosion gutted a bar in Madrid on Saturday injuring 21 people, three of them seriously, Spanish emergency services said.

Firefighters were clearing rubble at the premises in the capital’s Vallecas neighborhood, Madrid emergency services announced on X, sharing footage of the bar’s partially collapsed ceiling and bricks strewn on the ground.

Doors had been ripped off their hinges, with shards of glass scattered on the road outside, while first responders whisked away a victim on a stretcher.

The civil protection and medical services had treated 21 people, with three of them in a “serious” and two in a “potentially serious” condition, the emergency services said.

Sniffer dogs and drones were being deployed to support the response, they added.