On Nov. 4, 1979, militants seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking more than 60 American hostages. It was hell for the captured Americans, and Jimmy Carter’s inability to extricate them helped doom him to a one-term presidency.
The way things are shaping up in Kabul, that national humiliation is being recreated on a far, far bigger scale — it is no hyperbole to say that it is starting to look like America’s worst hostage crisis.
That may be the right call.
Afghanistan: Danger lies on Kabul’s airport road to freedom
As thousands of citizens and foreign nationals attempt to flee Afghanistan, scenes outside Kabul airport have become increasingly desperate.
Since the Taliban took control of the country at the weekend and closed land border crossings, the capital’s airport has become the only way out of the country for many.
But the militants have said they don’t want Afghans to leave the country. They have set up checkpoints on Airport Road – shown in yellow, below – the main route to Hamid Karzai International Airport, and have attacked people.
