This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/06/us-military-sniffer-dog-captured-taliban
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| US military sniffer dog captured in Afghanistan, Taliban claim | US military sniffer dog captured in Afghanistan, Taliban claim |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Taliban say they have captured an American military sniffer dog in Afghanistan, and posted a video of the forlorn-looking animal in a video online. | The Taliban say they have captured an American military sniffer dog in Afghanistan, and posted a video of the forlorn-looking animal in a video online. |
| Bearded fighters, showing off weapons they say were also captured from US forces in eastern Laghman province just before Christmas, mill around the chocolate-brown dog. | Bearded fighters, showing off weapons they say were also captured from US forces in eastern Laghman province just before Christmas, mill around the chocolate-brown dog. |
| Glossier and better fed than most guard dogs kept in Afghan villages, it is wearing a complex harness similar to ones used by some Nato forces. | Glossier and better fed than most guard dogs kept in Afghan villages, it is wearing a complex harness similar to ones used by some Nato forces. |
| A Taliban Twitter account shared video of the dog. An experienced dog handler who has worked in Afghanistan said it appeared to be a Belgian shepherd, a breed popular with soldiers because of its ability to work for hours without a break. | A Taliban Twitter account shared video of the dog. An experienced dog handler who has worked in Afghanistan said it appeared to be a Belgian shepherd, a breed popular with soldiers because of its ability to work for hours without a break. |
| Video of equip. seized on 23-12-13 operation which killed 6 US terrorists in Alingar district (#Laghman) http://t.co/27GCZmdyAO | Video of equip. seized on 23-12-13 operation which killed 6 US terrorists in Alingar district (#Laghman) http://t.co/27GCZmdyAO |
| — Abdulqahar Balkhi (@ABalkhi) February 6, 2014 | |
| "You see the ears? They are down, that tells you that the dog is not aggressive and just wants to feel safe. Right now the dog is terrified," said the handler, who asked not to be named while talking about Nato. | "You see the ears? They are down, that tells you that the dog is not aggressive and just wants to feel safe. Right now the dog is terrified," said the handler, who asked not to be named while talking about Nato. |
| "I can see in his eyes he just wants to get his handler," he added. | "I can see in his eyes he just wants to get his handler," he added. |
| A spokesman for Nato forces in Afghanistan said they were aware of the reports, and looking into them, but had no immediate comment. | A spokesman for Nato forces in Afghanistan said they were aware of the reports, and looking into them, but had no immediate comment. |
| Dogs have been widely used by western forces in Afghanistan to sniff out buried bombs and hidden narcotics, as well as help search homes. | Dogs have been widely used by western forces in Afghanistan to sniff out buried bombs and hidden narcotics, as well as help search homes. |
| They usually stay close to the men and women who manage them, but can occasionally be separated by a heavy gun battle or large bomb, the handler said. | |
| He remembered at least one other incident when Afghan insurgents captured a dog alive, and held it for several months. | He remembered at least one other incident when Afghan insurgents captured a dog alive, and held it for several months. |