The United States and several other world powers are attempting to lead their countries’ citizens and qualified refugees through a harrowing escape via Kabul’s airport in Afghanistan, largely considered to be the only way out of the embattled nation after the Taliban staked a ruling claim in the region.

Earlier in the week, Taliban militants swept over numerous cities in Afghanistan, scattering the nation’s army and sending Kabul into chaos as hundreds descended on the airport hoping to evade the new regime. The U.S. has since announced plans for a total of 7,000 troops, including multiple Marine battalions and the Army’s 82nd Airborne, to be deployed to the region on a mission to extract diplomats from the embassy, as well as recipients of the SIV program, short for Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans, which grants asylum to residents of the country who worked for the U.S. government in some capacity.