Canadian ex-soldier David Lavery ‘safe’ in Qatar after being released from Afghanistan, Joly says
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Canadian Army veteran David Lavery is “safe” in Qatar – months after a vets support network raised concerns he is missing from Afghanistan and may be being held by the Taliban government.
On social media on Sunday, Joly said she “just spoke to David Lavery when he arrived safely in Qatar from Afghanistan. He is in good spirits.”
Joly also thanked Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Qatar’s foreign minister, “for facilitating the release of our Canadian citizen.”
According to a source familiar with Lavery’s release, the former Canadian soldier was arrested in Kabul on Nov. 11, 2024 – Memorial Day. The Canadian government contacted the Qatari government for help in securing Lavery’s release.
I recently spoke to David Lavery on his safe arrival in Qatar from Afghanistan. He is in a good mood.
Thanks to my Qatari partner, @MBA_AlThani_for helping to facilitate the release of our Canadian citizen.
Qatari mediators worked with senior Canadian officials and used their contacts in Afghanistan to send a medical team to assess Lavery’s condition and provide care while also facilitating communication between Lavery and his family, the source said.
Finally, the source said, Lavery was examined by a doctor when he arrived in Doha and is now with his family.
In November, the Veterans Transition Network said it was “deeply concerned for the welfare of David Lavery, known to all who help as ‘Canadian Dave.’
On Sunday, the network released a statement saying it was “relieved and very happy to ensure a safe release [Lavery] since the arrest of the Taliban in Afghanistan.”
“We are so relieved to know that a friend, father, veteran and helper for Canadians has stepped down,” said Oliver Thorne, CEO of the Veterans Transition Network, in a statement. “Our mission over the past three years to expel the Afghan allies supporting the Canadian mission would not have been successful without Dave’s dedication and courage.”
The statement said the network and Lavery’s family “deliberately released little information” over the past two-and-a-half months “with the goal of minimizing media speculation that could put Dave at greater risk or jeopardize his release.”
Since before the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban in 2021, Lavery has been working to provide aid and assistance to deserving Afghan refugees. The Veterans Transition Network noted in November that Lavery traveled to Afghanistan several times to do humanitarian work and laid wreaths at a Canadian monument in Kabul on Remembrance Day.
CBC News reached out to Global Affairs Canada for more information.
