President Joe Biden has taken on a huge final responsibility for the U.S. before the end of the 20-year American mission in Afghanistan : controlling the airport in Kabul , the most important exit point for tens of thousands of Afghans who do not want to live under the Taliban .

But there is growing evidence that Bidens plan could leave behind many vulnerable Afghans dooming people to repression and potential death. Some U.S. evacuation flights are departing with empty seats even as desperate Afghans cluster at the airport gates. And Afghans cant simply fly out on their own. Few commercial operators are currently able to run flights in or out of Kabul at all.

With more than 5,000 American troops guarding the airport, military and State Department officials are deciding who can enter the facility and determining the schedule for all flights. American officials are also liaising with the Taliban to prevent the militant group from attacking the airport and organizing evacuation flights that are intended to carry up to 9,000 people out per day, including Americans, other foreign nationals and some Afghans. On Thursday, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said the United States had evacuated 7,000 people since Saturday.