Canadian Dave Lavery recounts his 77 days as a prisoner of the Taliban

A seasoned of the Canadian airborne regiment and a erstwhile United Nations information advisor, Dave Lavery has been traveling successful and retired of Kabul for 2 decades.

Since the Taliban returned to powerfulness successful 2021, helium has besides helped evacuate hundreds of Afghans susceptible to reprisals due to the fact that of their enactment for Canada’s military.

But portion the Taliban had not troubled him successful the past, erstwhile helium landed astatine Hamid Karzai airdrome connected the greeting of Nov. 11, 2024, they seemed to beryllium waiting for him.

They took him into custody and held him for 77 days until yet letting him spell connected Jan. 26. “It was nerve-wracking, it was intimidating,” helium told Global News connected Sunday.

In an interrogation a week aft helium was freed, Lavery said the Taliban questioned him repeatedly astir whether helium was a spy. His captors were besides suspicious due to the fact that helium was carrying 18 visas and level tickets for 2 Afghan families cleared to travel to Canada.

The beret and combat overgarment successful his container likewise were held against him, helium said, though they were simply to deterioration erstwhile helium laic a Remembrance Day wreath astatine a memorial for Canadian soldiers.

“I’m a spy, that benignant of stuff,” helium said, describing the allegations the Taliban’s wide directorate of quality enactment to him during interrogations.

He said helium inactive does not cognize what, if any, deals were made by the Canadian authorities oregon the Qatari intermediaries who negotiated his release. “That’s the million-dollar question,” helium said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced Lavery’s released past Sunday, and thanked Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Since then, Lavery had refrained from making immoderate nationalist statements, but aft a week of freedom, helium spoke to Global News from his location successful Dubai, joined by his wife, Junping.

He besides shared a diary helium kept during his captivity. It begins with his name, birthdate, a enactment to his household and a vow to “never springiness in,” and ends with the entry, “GOING HOME.”

Lavery has a agelong grounds of planetary humanitarian service. After 2 decades successful the Canadian military, helium went to enactment for the United Nations arsenic a information advisor successful 2000.

Canadian Dave, arsenic helium is known, responded to crises astir the world, from Sudan and Somalia to Pakistan and Sri Lanka, moving with UN agencies and NGOs.

He archetypal visited Afghanistan successful 2005, erstwhile a level crashed successful the mountains extracurricular Kabul, an acquisition that led him to determination to the metropolis successful 2010 arsenic a backstage contractor.

Through his institution Raven Rae Resources Group, helium continued successful the aforesaid niche helium had occupied astatine the UN — until U.S. forces began their disastrous 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.

As the Islamist militants precocious connected Kabul, Afghans who had assisted the Canadian subject and authorities were hopeless to escape, fearing Taliban revenge.

Working with Veterans Transition Network, a B.C.-based foundation funded by the national government, helium brought them to harmless houses and stayed connected arsenic Afghans mobbed the airport, trying to get connected evacuation flights.

He helped hundreds get onto the planes earlier hopping connected 1 of the past ones himself, and from his caller basal successful Dubai, continued helping Afghans flee, utilizing convoys of vehicles to escort them and their families to Pakistan.

Meanwhile, pursuing the Russian penetration of Ukraine successful 2022, helium launched an cognition successful Poland that evacuated Ukrainians who had worked with the Canadian Forces.

“Dave Lavery is simply a Canadian hero,” said Gavin Dew, who chairs the VTN, which is based successful Vancouver and was acceptable up successful 2012 to supply counseling and trauma programs to veterans.

The time earlier helium near for Kabul, Lavery posed for a photograph connected the formation successful Dubai, holding a transcript of the publication helium was reading: Escape from Kabul.

The adjacent morning, wearing a navy overgarment with a reddish poppy successful the lapel, helium took a selfie connected the autobus astatine the Dubai airdrome and sent it to his colleagues.

He was the archetypal disconnected the level successful Kabul. He cleared customs and got his suitcase from the baggage carousel, but helium soon suspected helium was being followed.

He said helium had near the terminal and was walking to the parking batch to conscionable Junping, who was already successful Kabul, erstwhile information officials grabbed him.

They took him backmost wrong the airdrome and went done his bags, uncovering the level tickets and visas from the Canadian government.

The Taliban besides took an unhealthy involvement successful the beret and combat overgarment helium had brought to deterioration to honour Canada’s fallen connected Remembrance Day.

Blindfolded and with a scarf binding his hands, helium was enactment into the backmost of a conveyance and taken to a cell, opening what helium calls his “unlawful detention.”

When Lavery didn’t look from Kabul airport, Junping waited and tried to call, but his telephone was switched off. He didn’t reply WhatsApp messages either.

She showed his photograph astir and phoned Lavery’s son, but it was rapidly evident the worst had happened: the Taliban had taken him prisoner.

Remembering his subject training, Lavery said helium tried to enactment calm and recognize his surroundings.

His interrogator explained that if helium cooperated, an probe could formally begin, but if helium didn’t, they would travel backmost successful a period and effort again.

This could spell connected for years, the Taliban quality authoritative explained, and Lavery had spent capable clip successful Afghanistan to cognize that to beryllium true.

His compartment was 4 meters by six meters, with a constrictive model sealed with rebar. A mattress laic connected a stained reddish carpet and determination was a integrative cupful for chai.

Lavery said h told himself this could beryllium his location for a agelong time, and thing little than that would beryllium a bonus. He got into a regular of walking laps astir his cell.

Hoping to get to a hospital, wherever helium mightiness beryllium capable to get connection to his family, helium began playing the relation of a frail aged man, walking with a limp and complaining astir kidney troubles and a hep replacement.

The Taliban responded mockingly. They had seen his online profile, which described him arsenic Canadian Dave. Canadian Dave didn’t request a doctor, they said, Canadian Dave was strong.

“What’s wrong, Canadian Dave?”

Following a repast consisting of a food head, helium began vomiting and appealed to beryllium taken to the infirmary for tests, which they did.

He was past blindfolded and taken to a “guest house” compound wherever 4 Americans were besides being held (two were soon released successful a captive swap).

It was a measurement up from his cell, and determination was a tv wherever helium could ticker CNN.

The interrogations helium went done were menacing, helium said. The Taliban accused him of espionage and checked his assemblage for a GPS tracker.

He was asked astir the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and Israel, and what helium was doing successful Ukraine. He responded that helium was nary spy. But, helium said, helium was not beaten oregon tortured.

On precocious December, the Taliban moved him again, this clip to the villa that served arsenic Lavery’s basal successful Kabul. He was nether location apprehension but had immoderate comforts of home.

He was allowed to telephone his household for the archetypal clip connected Dec. 30. But helium aboriginal recovered a Nokia telephone that his captors had missed.

Once helium got his hands connected a cable, helium was capable to complaint it up and telephone his lad Brant, who was shocked to perceive his father’s voice.

Brant said successful an interrogation that helium reassured his dada that the Qatar authorities was keeping ticker connected him, and was moving to get him out.

Canadian officials were besides successful interaction with the Qataris and believed his merchandise was imminent.

“And I was capable to provender Dad immoderate of this benignant of information,” Brant said successful an interview. “I deliberation it boosted his morale.”

The household had an added inducement to spot Lavery freed arsenic rapidly arsenic possible. Brant and his woman are expecting their archetypal kid successful the spring, and they wanted him there.

“Trust me, I was pushing Global Affairs Canada and everyone I could. I was phoning, and I had telephone calls with Minister Joly,” Brant said.

“It’s thing that we truly wanted. We were pushing for that. In our calls with Minister Joly, she said she would enactment precise hard connected that.”

On Jan. 25, Lavery worked connected the extortion of the villa, ate a pizza meal and wrote a enactment successful his diary to Junping earlier a defender came to his room.

“Good quality David,” according to the relationship of the speech successful his journal. “You are being released — 100% time you volition go.”

The Taliban told him the country’s courts had decided helium had been cooperative and had served capable time, though for what was ne'er explained.

“Goodnight spot you tomorrow,” 1 of his past diary entries reads. “Wow I americium going location connected time 77. I was precise lucky.”

When his level landed connected Doha, helium descended the aerial stairs and saw a enactment of officials connected the tarmac. He thought a VIP indispensable beryllium connected the plane.

But they were determination for him. He posed for photos with the Qataris and was reunited with Junping and his lad earlier returning to Dubai.

Lavery said helium was “very, precise pleased” with Global Affairs Canada, and said Joly “was fantastic” and gave his lad her nonstop fig truthful they could talk.

He has nary plans to instrumentality to Kabul, helium said.

The Qataris told the household it was the fastest lawsuit they had ever handled. The Afghan families Lavery went to assistance were besides evacuated safely to Pakistan by road.

Brant said the household is overjoyed that Lavery volition beryllium determination erstwhile his grandson is born.

“We tin observe thing truly affirmative for the full family. And we cognize that dada is really going to beryllium determination with us,” Brant said.

“A batch of worldly was moving down the scenes, and Canada was a immense portion of that and the Qataris arsenic well.”

“We request to truly convey truthful galore people.”

Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca