Franklin Graham declares Sunday as day of prayer for Afghanistan

Franklin Graham, CEO and president of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Association, is calling for a day of prayer for the people of Afghanistan on Sunday.

Samaritan's Purse, based in Boone, is a Christian organization that helps meet the needs of refugees, victims of war and natural disasters.

“There is no hope for these people to get out safely—apart from a miracle from the hand of God—and that’s what we need to pray for,”Graham said in a statement.

The U.S. government is scrambling to help evacuate both Afghans and Americans as the Taliban quickly took over Kabul. Some have been turned away from Kabul's airport and others have been beaten by the Taliban, CNN reports.

Taliban checkpoints and chaos at the gates outside the airport have stopped many thousands from getting inside the airport, let alone on planes, subjecting them to harsh conditions and violence from the Taliban. The difficulties have pushed advocates and lawmakers alike to urge President Joe Biden to extend an August 31 deadline to finish the withdrawal of US troops, arguing there's not nearly enough time to get everyone out in the next two weeks.

Samaritan's Purse is working with groups to help get allies out of the country, according to a statement from Graham. There is "a major choke point" getting them out of the country, said Jennifer Quigley, senior director for government affairs at Human Rights First, pointing to the chaos and violence outside the airport.

"It's the crowds that have amassed, and how volatile and violent the situation has become," she said.

Edward Graham, grandson of Billy Graham, served 16 years in the U.S. Army.

“I spent years there and lost many friends. There are many Afghan people that I love," Edward Graham said. "This is a manmade disaster and there isn’t a person or an organization that can fix this. Only God can deliver us from this crisis.”