A private operation run out of a hotel conference room has helped evacuate approximately 5,000 Afghan refugees


A coalition of war veterans, Afghan diplomats, wealthy donors, defense contractors, nonprofit workers, and off-duty U.S. officials — in an "on-the-fly" effort run out of a conference room at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington, D.C. — have helped evacuate approximately 5,000 refugees from Afghanistan in the past two weeks, The Wall Street Journal reports. The self-named "Commercial Task Force" is now "one of the most successful known private" efforts to rescue those on the ground, looking to escape.
"This is not who we are as a people," said Jim Linder, a retired general and task force member, referencing the at-large evacuation effort. As president of Tenax Aerospace, Linder's connections "helped the group charter planes for rescue flights," the Journal writes.
At the task force's helm is Zach Van Meter, a private-equity investor "spurred to action" at the urging of his business associate, a former U.S. Army commando, per the Journal. Eager to help, Van Meter rented out the hotel's Peacock Lounge and set up shop. His group has now negotiated refugee spots with the United Arab Emirates and is talking with officials from Albania, Ukaine, and other countries.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
With evacuation routes closing, the "volunteers are looking at land routes and possible airlifts from smaller cities, as well as countries willing to host those Afghans who have already escaped," writes the Journal. At 3 a.m. on Sunday, the last of them left the lounge "for good and moved their work elsewhere."
"We're not giving up," said Emily King, a former Pentagon adviser. "We'll keep pivoting to find a way." Read more at The Wall Street Journal.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
How to create a healthy 'germier' home
Under The Radar Exposure to a broad range of microbes can enhance our immune system, especially during childhood
-
George Floyd: Did Black Lives Matter fail?
Feature The momentum for change fades as the Black Lives Matter Plaza is scrubbed clean
-
National debt: Why Congress no longer cares
Feature Rising interest rates, tariffs and Trump's 'big, beautiful' bill could sent the national debt soaring
-
Nationalist wins tight Polish presidential election
speed read Karol Nawrocki beat Rafal Trzaskowski in Poland's presidential runoff election
-
Ukraine hits Russia's bomber fleet in stealth drone attack
speed read The operation, which destroyed dozens of warplanes, is the 'biggest blow of the war against Moscow's long-range bomber fleet'
-
Starving Gazans overrun US-backed food aid hub
speed read Israeli troops fired warning shots at the Palestinians
-
Israel's Western allies pull back amid Gaza escalation
speed read Britain and the EU are reconsidering allegiance with Israel as the Gaza siege continues
-
Trump drops ceasefire demand after Putin call
speed read Following a phone call with Russia's president, Trump backed off an earlier demand that Putin agree to an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine
-
Pro-EU centrist beats Trump acolyte in Romania vote
speed read The mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, defeated hard-right nationalist George Simion in the race for Romania's presidency
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talks
speed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'
-
US, China agree to lower tariffs for 90 days
speed read US tariffs will fall to 30% from 145%, while China will cut its tax on US imports to 10% from 125%