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The man known as “Canadian Dave” has been missing in Kabul for more than three weeks.
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There is no confirmation if he is alive, a captive, jailed or in hospital?
All his friends, family and peers can do is hope for the best after Dave Lavery vanished in Kabul on Nov. 11, Remembrance Day.
They hope he’s still with us. They believe he is. But there is nothing confirmed from either Canada or Afghanistan.
The Taliban hold all the cards. Canada holds none.
The whereabouts and status of this Canadian hero to so many who escaped from Afghanistan remains a mystery.
“We have nothing to add to our previous statement,” said Global Affairs Canadan (GAC).
Keeping their cards close, Canadian government officials have previously only acknowledged the former Canadian special operations soldier — now a civilian exfiltration expert — disappeared near the same Kabul airport where he helped more than 100 Afghans escape to Canada during the 2021 fall of Afghanistan. He also assisted hundreds of others from other countries.
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“The Government of Canada’s first priority is always the safety and security of its citizens,” said GAC spokesperson Charlotte MacLeod. “For this reason, in addition to privacy considerations, we will not comment on or release any information on specific cases. Doing so may compromise ongoing efforts or endanger the safety of Canadians.”
There has been no sign of the Canadian some call the “Angel of Afghanistan” since the day he vanished. If anybody in authority has any information on him, they are not sharing it.
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But sources told The Toronto Sun they believe Lavery is alive, and being held by the Taliban somewhere in Kabul.
“I was given assurances that he is alive and well and being taken care of,” said, Chris Ecklunda, a philanthropist and president of Canadian Process Serving Inc. “We can only hope that is true.”
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If this a kidnapping and ransom situation, no one is saying. The whereabouts of Lavery’s wife and son are also not known.
The question is what happens next? And what to do next?
“We need to pressure Global Affairs Canada and the rest of the government into action or this will linger,” said a friend who worked with Lavery in Afghanistan and is a noted expert on the Taliban.
“Winter is coming to Kabul — the people are starving. But realistically, the Taliban could care less about Canada and what we have to offer. My suspicion is that they’re rounding up foreigners as a reaction to the recent election (in the U.S.) — in order to build up stock to trade once Trump comes into office.”
The good news in that is that Lavery should be kept alive. However, it’s unclear who would negotiate his release and what the Taliban would want in exchange.
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And Ecklunda said there is also more bad news for Afghan people because the project he has been working on — to build a new school and send over supplies — is on hold until the Lavery situation is resolved.
Sometimes these things work out well, and sometimes they don’t. I have covered numerous Canadians who have been detained abroad, including the two Michaels — Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor — who were released after spending more than 1,000 days in Chinese custody.
In the case of the Michaels, we had a happy homecoming story.
But they all don’t end up that way.
For example, Robert Hall and John Ridsdel were kidnapped in 2016 by Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines and later murdered.
It’s a reminder of what a dangerous game this is. Patience is key.
“There are good people working on it,” said retired general Dean Milner. “It’s important that we do because Dave Lavery has served this country with distinction for a long time.”
While it’s true, no one is quite sure of Canadian Dave’s whereabouts or offered any proof that he is alive.
Another truth: He is not forgotten.
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