On Friday, US President Joe Biden vowed to return all Americans home from Afghanistan, as well as those Afghans who assisted in the war effort, as officials acknowledged that US military helicopters flew beyond the Kabul airport to pick up 169 Americans attempting to flee.
The president's remarks, given at the White House, were meant to reflect purpose and stability at the end of a week in which photos from Afghanistan, particularly at the airport, implied turmoil.
Given the tens of thousands of interpreters and other aid workers, as well as their close family members, seeking evacuation, his commitment to find a path out for Afghan allies vulnerable to Taliban threats amounted to a potentially huge enlargement of Washington's commitments.
Thousands more Americans and foreigners trying to flee the Taliban faced overwhelming crowds, Taliban airport checkpoints, and often impenetrable US bureaucracy as Biden's pledges were made.
"We will get you home," Biden assured Americans still in Afghanistan days after the Taliban retook control of Kabul, bringing an end to a two-decade conflict.
Biden said, "We're making the same promise to Afghan wartime helpers as we are to U.S. citizens."
He offered the possibility of assistance to Afghans who have been fighting individual fights to gain the documentation and clearance to leave.
The Afghan allies, he said, were "equally vital" in the evacuations.
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