The president vowed that any attack by the Taliban on U.S. forces working to secure the evacuation of American citizens "will be met with swift and forceful response." Biden also said that he's been in contact with international leaders and that there will be a G7 summit next week to discuss ongoing evacuation efforts. He also dismissed criticisms from the international community, saying there's "no question of our credibility from our allies around the world," despite the fact that the U.K. Parliament voted Wednesday to hold Biden in contempt for his handling of the situation in Afghanistan. "There'll be plenty of time to criticize and second-guess when this operation is over. But now, now I am focused on getting this job done," Biden said. Biden's remarks, follow several days of chaos at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, where thousands of desperate refugees and American citizens have sought flights out of the country to flee the radical Islamist regime that came to power on Sunday. Biden's administration has lagged in approving visas for evacuees, and horrific images and videos have surfaced showing Afghans clinging to departing U.S. military aircraft and falling to their deaths after they failed to secure passage aboard. Administration officials said Thursday that 7,000 people had been evacuated from Kabul since Sunday, with 5,200 American troops on the ground in Afghanistan assisting and providing security at the airport. Those American troops were joined by 600 Afghan security forces soldiers, who have proven willing to continue the fight against the Taliban. Defense Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thursday that the U.S. is capable of airlifting between 5,000 and 9,000 out of Afghanistan each day, but so far been unable to do so because the bases where refugees are taken for processing have reached capacity and an unknown number of Americans who want to be evacuated are unable to reach the airport. Asked how many Americans are still in Afghanistan, Kirby said, "I don't know." In his first remarks on the situation Monday in Afghanistan, Biden defended his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from the conflict there, asserting that "there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces." Biden said that his national security team had been "clear-eyed about the risks" of leaving Afghanistan, though just one month prior Biden assured the American people that it was "highly unlikely" that the Taliban would take control of the country. The president blamed Afghanistan's political leaders for giving up the fight and fleeing the country and the Afghan military for collapsing unexpectedly. But U.S. intelligence officials had warned that a rapid collapse of the Afghan military and government was imminent, warnings that were seemingly ignored. NBC News reported that multiple military officials had wanted to begin evacuating vulnerable Afghans as early as May, but were prohibited from doing so. The president argued that he did not order an evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies sooner to avoid triggering a "crisis of confidence" in the Western-backed Afghan government. Biden also said Monday that Afghan civilians were at fault for the evacuation debacle because they "did not want to leave early." In a Wednesday interview with ABC News, Biden said that the current situation was unavoidable. "The idea that somehow, there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing — I don't know how that happens," Biden said. He reiterated this point on Friday. "If we had decided 15 years ago to leave Afghanistan, it would have been really difficult. If we decided five years ago, if we continued the war for another decade and tried to leave — there's no way in which you'd be able to leave Afghanistan without there being some of what you're seeing now," Biden said. "But what we've done so far is we've been able to get a large number of Americans out, all our personnel at the embassy out, and so on. And thank God, so far, knock on wood, we're in a different position." The president was scheduled to go to his home in Wilmington, Delaware, Friday to continue a vacation that was interrupted by the crisis in Afghanistan. Biden postponed his departure to give his speech and will instead return to vacation on Saturday, remaining in Delaware through the weekend.

 A homeowner in Alabama was shot recently while defending his home against someone he thought to be an intruder — only it turned out the alleged assailant was his wife's boyfriend, who had been secretly living inside his home for more than a year, according to police.

The bizarre story unfolding in Creola, Alabama, has stunned neighbors and baffled investigators, who now suggest the attack may have been part of a murder-for-hire plot.

What are the details?

WALA-TV reported this week that Frank Reeves was shot during a gunfight Sunday night with 53-year-old Michael Amacker.

Reeves was reportedly struck in the chest during the shootout but returned fire, striking Amacker in the leg and elbow. Both men were transported to the hospital for treatment.

In an ensuing investigation, Mobile County Sheriff's deputies determined that Reeves was alerted to the attack by his wife, Tracy, who informed him that a trespasser was inside the home.

What she did not tell him, however, was that the reported intruder was in fact her boyfriend, whom she had been hiding in the home for over a year. Deputies reported that Tracy Reeves routinely delivered meals to her lover in secret.

According to investigators, Amacker would stay inside the home for days at a time, limiting his exposure by avoiding trips to the bathroom. Bottles of urine were reportedly found in his room.

What has been the reaction?

The strange crime has reportedly perplexed members of the community and law enforcement.

"It was just a very odd scene to work," Mobile County Sheriff's Capt. Paul Burch said. "It's something that I haven't seen in 30-plus years."

Neighbor Kenneth Wilson told the outlet, "My wife and I have lived here for 13 years, never ever seen anything go on like this."

"We saw them bring out the suspect, and also the man that was shot, and they both seemed to be okay," he added. "They weren't saying much, in fact, the suspect did not say a word, it looked like he was way out of it."

Anything else?

Deputies added that drugs likely played a role in the incident, saying that both Amacker and Tracey Reeves were high on methamphetamines at the time of the shooting.

Due to the drug use, Burch and fellow investigators believe there is more to the story, including the potential that the attack was part of a murder-for-hire plot.

"Another thing with meth, people that are on meth, not only do they have paranoia, [but they also] can't keep their mouth shut," he told WKRG-TV. "So, if there was some kind of diabolical plan, it is very possible Amacker has told some other people prior to or certainly not after the fact."

Amacker, a convicted felon, is currently charged with attempted murder, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of a firearm with an altered serial number.

Tracy Reeves was also arrested on Thursday after she showed up for a police interview in possession of meth.