Foreign Affairs Minister says Canadian released from Afghanistan

OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Canadian David Lavery has safely made it to Qatar from Afghanistan with the help of the Qatari government.

The Canadian Armed Forces veteran went missing in Kabul back in November, according to the Veterans Transition Network.

Lavery had been working with the group to provide humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.

The Veterans Transition Network said he was believed to have been detained by the Afghan government.

The country has been under Taliban rule since 2021.

Joly says on social media that she spoke with Lavery and he is “in good spirits.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 26, 2025.

The Canadian Press Staff