Report: Taliban Block 143 Americans Leaving Country, Fomenting a ‘Hostage’ Crisis

The Taliban on Wednesday are reportedly blocking 143 American citizens from leaving Afghanistan, fomenting a “hostage” crisis amid denials from the Biden administration.

“U.S. Lawmakers and veterans trying to assist in the evacuation of 143 stranded Americans and many Afghan allies are growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of action by the Biden administration,” Real Clear Politics reported on the “six chartered planes at Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan.”

Though State Department Secretary Antony Blinken admits the Taliban are blocking Americans’ passage way out of the country, the Biden administration is also “insisting the Taliban’s efforts to block flights from leaving the country is not a ‘hostage’ crisis – that the militant group controlling Afghanistan simply wants the proper documents from those seeking to leave.”

“The Taliban are not permitting the charter flights to depart,” Blinken said Wednesday. “Those flights need to be able to depart.”

.@SecBlinken acknowledges “fair amount of confusion” around charter flights from Afghanistan & says US will continue to push Taliban to allow those flights to leave

"The Taliban are not permitting the charter flights to depart," he says. "Those flights need to be able to depart"

— Jennifer Hansler (@jmhansler) September 8, 2021