BETHESDA, Md. — Over the past few weeks, the home office of Victor Esch has turned from a tranquil space to ruminate over fond memories into a full-on war room.
The former chief of the Cabin John Fire Department in Maryland has been working with a group of volunteers to help coordinate the escape of hundreds of Afghans as they flee the Taliban.
“We had a family of six that got out," Esch pointing to a list of names on a dry erase board. Another family of six, another family of six."
Esch formed the organization Task Force Afghani Freedom, and through a sophisticated network, Esch and his team are helping Afghans escape, either by finding flights out of the country, getting escapees to the border or hiding them in safe houses. So far, they’ve helped, nearly 500 people flee.
“This is how it all starts,” Esch said looking over countless emails from Afghans asking for help. “They introduce themselves. Some of them will go into a lot of detail. Some of them will say I need your help.”
Esch spent more than 10 years working and living in Afghanistan. He was first recruited by the then Afghan government to help establish an infrastructure for fire and recuse response within the country. Over the years, he would develop close relationships with Afghans and considers the country a second home.
Now that the Taliban has regained control of the country, he feels a sense of duty to help people flee. Every day he and his team have been inundated with a barrage of emails, social media messages and phone calls from people looking to escape. He shared one such email with WUSA9.
“This guy was in radio and television as a result that’s ‘haram’[which means forbidden]," Esch explained. "He didn’t have to work for the U.S. -- just because of his chosen profession he was a target."
Since recapturing Afghanistan, the Taliban has been on a media tour, suggesting the Taliban of today is modern and progressive. Reports of human rights abuses within the country conflict with that narrative.
“It’s nothing other than propaganda,” said Esch referring to the Taliban’s claims they have evolved. “I’ve got the photographs. I’ve got the videos that show otherwise.”
A former journalist, currently in the country whom WUSA 9 spoke with said, “this is the old Taliban."
Esch said while he’s committed to the mission, he is forced to slow down because of limited manpower. But he’s planning on helping as many people as he can, for as long as he can.
“This has been a continuous sprint and we’ve got to slow down now and pace ourselves," he said. "And the more we rush things, the more we make mistakes."