Veterans' group 'deeply concerned' about missing former Canadian Forces officer in Afghanistan

A Canadian Armed Forces veteran, David Lavery, has gone missing in Afghanistan and has possibly been detained by the Taliban government, according to a network that supports vets.

"The Veterans Transition Network is deeply concerned about the well-being of David Lavery, known to all those he helped as 'Canadian Dave,'" reads a statement from the organization.

The statement says Lavery disappeared from the Kabul airport on Nov. 11, Remembrance Day.

"It appears likely he has been detained by the Afghan government. Further speculation would be unhelpful at this delicate time."

Since before the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, Lavery had been working to provide aid and assistance to eligible Afghan migrants. The Veterans Transition Network notes that Lavery repeatedly travelled to Afghanistan for humanitarian work, and to lay wreaths at the Canadian monument in Kabul on Remembrance Day.

"Dave has always travelled into Afghanistan using appropriate documentation issued by the Afghan government, which was aware of Dave's presence and his work assisting migrants travelling to Canada over the past three years," the statement said.

The Veterans Transition Network said it is in contact with Global Affairs Canada and "trusts" the government is working to ensure Lavery's quick return.

A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, Brittany Fletcher, said Friday that it is "aware" of an incident involving a Canadian in Afghanistan.

"Canadian officials continue to monitor the situation closely and are providing consular assistance. Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed," Fletcher said in a statement.

In the House of Commons on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said she is aware of the case but could not comment due to "confidentiality issues."

"We will take every single measure to bring him home," Joly said.

Lavery entered the Canadian Armed Forces in 1979 and rose through the ranks until his retirement in the late 1990s. He then went to work for the United Nations.

He now operates a company called Raven Rae Consultancy which describes itself as committed to "risk mitigation, life support, humanitarian aid, safety and security management" for non-government organizations, international development organizations and government and intergovernmental organizations.

In 2021, Lavery, his son Brant and wife Junping were "the only Canadians left to help desperate Afghan families get on the final flights out of Kabul, Afghanistan" in 2021, after it fell to the Taliban, according to the Veterans Transition Network.

One of Lavery's most recent interviews was with CBC Radio's Now or Never. He told the show that he returned to Kabul to take back his house and business from the Taliban in December 2021 and rebuild his business.

"I've been going back and forth, and we're trying to help, and they see that," Lavery told host Trevor Dineen.

Lavery said he has been operating in Afghanistan since 2010 and called it his "home away from home." He said he is in and out frequently.

"We have a good relationship with our neighbours and the new government that is there … we obviously have to abide and watch what we do and how we do it … conform on what they require," he said.

LISTEN: David Lavery speaks to CBC Radio around the 25-minute mark: 

Now or Never52:47Far from home: Afghan refugees finding new life in Canada

40 000 Afghan refugees have settled in Canada since the Taliban's swift and dramatic return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.Today on Now or Never, five newcomers share the realities of starting over in a new country, and what they're dreaming about next. Afghan teenager Razia Arifi grew up in a family that always encouraged education, and to get out of Afghanistan the first chance she got. So when the Taliban returned in 2021, 16-year-old Razia found herself on a plane to Canada, without her parents and siblings. Today this university student shares how she’s dealing with the weight of expectations, and why her goal is to eventually get back to Afghanistan to open a school for girls.  In Afghanistan, she was an award-winning journalist fearlessly fighting for women’s rights and press freedom. But here, Farida Nekzad says she’s starting from zero, worried about her finances, and wondering how she will pay back the transportation loan most refugees arrive with. Canadian military veteran Dave Lavery was on the ground helping evacuate people from Afghanistan when the Taliban took Kabul. But a few months after fleeing, he returned to take back his house from the Taliban and rebuild his business in a country he still calls his 'home away from home.' For many Afghani kids in Edmonton, soccer games were their first taste of life in Canada. We take you to a game with head coach Hamid Atimadi, who is sharing his love of the game with the next generation. And transgender woman Ozlam Mahshar was severely punished by her family for wearing make-up in Afghanistan. After escaping the Taliban’s rule and arriving in Canada in 2022, she now has dreams of being a make-up artist, and flexes her skills on Ify for an intimate sit-down.