The Afghan family almost made it.

They could see the Marines on the other side of the Taliban checkpoint, some 300 yards away.

The Taliban were even handing out water. It seemed virtually certain that the family would be on their way to join relatives in Nebraska.

But as they waited their turn at the checkpoint, two trucks pulled up, and newly arrived Taliban militants jumped out and began attacking.

“Infidels,” they yelled as they beat some of the men, dragged a pregnant woman to the ground and pointed a gun at a grandmother’s head.

Afghans and Americans trying to flee the Taliban say confusion and terror have been their constant companions, according to family back in Nebraska. Timing and luck, as much as anything, have appeared to determine who escaped and who didn’t — and are now in hiding in Afghanistan.