The United States has decided to use commercial civilian aircraft for evacuations from Afghanistan.

The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) said that 18 aircraft will participate in transporting those who have already left Afghanistan to safe areas.

Thousands of Afghans crowd around Kabul International Airport, hoping to flee the country, after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15.

US President Joe Biden said Sunday that the United States has evacuated about 28,000 people over the past week.

In an interview with White House reporters, Biden said, “There is no way to evacuate this number of people without pain and those heart-breaking images that you see,” adding, “We still have a long way to go, and a lot of mistakes can happen.”

Reuters news agency quoted a NATO official as saying that at least 20 people were killed outside Kabul airport, where tens of thousands are staying. It was reported that some were run over.

But other reports indicated that the atmosphere around the airport calmed down on Sunday compared to previous days.

The British Minister of State for Armed Forces, James Hebei, said that the Taliban are now organizing queues at Hamid Karzai International Airport, making the process faster for those hoping to leave.

The British Ministry of Defense said Sunday evening that Britain had evacuated 5,725 people since August 13.

The United Kingdom has more than 1,000 military personnel deployed in Afghanistan.

On Sunday, the US Department of Defense announced the activation of the Civilian Air Reserve fleet, to assist with the evacuation.

This enables the United States to mobilize civilian airlines for emergency assistance. The United States had previously done this during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and in the Gulf War between 1990 and 1991.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Defense, the first phase includes the use of 18 aircraft, including 4 from United Airlines, 3 from American Airlines, Atlas Airlines and Omni Air, and 2 from Hawaiian Airlines.

The statement stated that the move will enable the military aircraft to focus on operations to and from Kabul.

The US President explained that these planes will work to transport the evacuees to a safe third destination, noting that none of the planes will land in Kabul.

For his part, Taliban official Amir Khan Muttaki blamed the United States for the “evacuation drama”.

The United States is under pressure to extend the August 31 deadline for evacuations. Biden said there were ongoing discussions about an extension, but added, “We hope we don’t have to.”

The move comes in conjunction with the saying of the White House National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, that it is believed that several thousand Americans are still in Afghanistan.

He told CNN that he could not say how many, but indicated that work was underway to evacuate them.

Sullivan described the threat of the Islamic State to carry out attacks on Kabul airport as “real” and “serious.”