A bipartisan group of 55 senators sent a letter to President Biden urging him to quickly evacuate Afghan civilians who assisted the U.S. military during the 20-year-long war that concludes on Aug. 31.

The group was led by Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who asked Biden to evacuate Afghans eligible for immigrant visas, including their families out of Afghanistan as quickly as possible. Biden had previously promised to do everything in his power to evacuate Afghans who assisted the U.S. military by providing them with immigrant visas.

“As the situation in Afghanistan deteriorates, these individuals face increased danger at the hands of the Taliban that has sworn retribution. For this reason, Congress provided additional authorities to improve and expedite the application process while maintaining the program’s security and integrity. We implore your administration to expeditiously implement these changes and immediately evacuate our Afghan allies to safety," the lawmakers wrote in a letter.

“At every step of the way, our mission was supported by Afghans who fought alongside us for a better future for their country. They risked their safety and the well-being of their families to work with the United States. With the departure of U.S. forces and the Taliban rule in place, the safety and security of our Afghan allies who put their lives on the line to help our service members and diplomats must be a top priority."

The group also urges Biden to assist individuals at the airport and get them to safety and evacuate Afghans eligible for special immigrant visas even if they did not have time to gather the necessary documents.

The Pentagon said Thursday that the U.S. has airlifted approximately 7,000 people out of Kabul in the past five days. Since the end of July, the U.S. has evacuated about 12,000 people from Afghanistan, including American citizens, with thousands more to go.

According to state department spokesperson Ned Price, there are 6,000 people who have been fully processed by the U.S. and are waiting to board planes.

President Biden has defended his plans to withdraw from Afghanistan, saying there was no way “to have gotten out without chaos ensuing.”

Afghanistan