topic Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog' in Community Spirit

Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

icyfroth — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 20:02:46 GMT

Looking forlorn on a lead being held by a bearded Taliban fighter, this small reddish-brown dog was paraded for a Taliban cameraman as the group's latest war trophy in Afghanistan: an American military sniffer dog.

Other fighters milled around the dog, showing off weapons they say were captured along with the dog from US forces during a night raid in eastern Laghman province just before Christmas.

"You see the ears?" the handler said in the video, which was posted on the Taliban's Twitter account.

"They are down. That tells you that the dog is not aggressive and just wants to feel safe. Right now the dog is terrified.

"I can see in his eyes he just wants to get his handler."

The dog, apparently called "Colonel", wears a complex harness similar to ones used by some NATO forces.

The Taliban handler said the dog's harness was fitted with a GPS tracking device, a torch and small camera when they captured it.

There were local reports a few weeks ago that a senior Taliban commander in the area was seen with a "foreign dog" but the video is the first positive sighting of the dog, the BBC reports.

The dog appeared to be a Belgian shepherd, a breed popular with soldiers because it can work long hours without a break, The Guardian reports.

US officials said they were investigating the Taliban's claim.

NATO forces have long used dogs in Afghanistan to sniff out buried bombs and hidden narcotics, or to help search homes.

They usually stay close to the men and women who manage them but can sometimes be separated by a heavy gun battle or bomb, the Taliban handler said in the video.

Link to Article And Video

Another Casualty of that hopeless war.

The Taliban have a twitter account?

Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

cat_mioux — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 00:44:03 GMT

I know and I felt sick. Still do. 😞

Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

debra9275 — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 00:52:43 GMT

Poor animals used in wars.

Did anyone see the movie ""War Horse"??

Gosh I cried all through that film

Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

lloydslights — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 00:58:12 GMT

I hate war! I love dogs. I have owned working dogs, and the dog in this article was/is a working dog.

When captured, with the gps and camera, maybe it was doing its job. Perhaps the coordinates and pictures assisted the US in the location of the Taliban group. Was there a follow up story of the outcome?

DEB

Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

**meep** — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 01:27:28 GMT

@lloydslights wrote:
I hate war! I love dogs. I have owned working dogs, and the dog in this article was/is a working dog.

When captured, with the gps and camera, maybe it was doing its job. Perhaps the coordinates and pictures assisted the US in the location of the Taliban group. Was there a follow up story of the outcome?

DEB

The dog went missing in December, it belongs to British special forces.

Four years ago, an Australian bomb-sniffing dog was lost in Afghanistan and then adopted by a Taliban leader who tried to sell her back.

Sabi, a black Labrador, was eventually recovered by an American special forces soldier who retrieved her from an unnamed man in north-eastern Oruzgan.

For years the Taliban have railed against infidel dogs who have invaded Afghanistan. Now it seems they have caught one.

Hoping this dog returns home safely, somehow.....

Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

**meep** — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 01:38:26 GMT

@debra9275 wrote:
Poor animals used in wars.

Did anyone see the movie ""War Horse"??

Gosh I cried all through that film

It took me a while to finally make the decision to see the movie.

i cried watching Milo and Otis

Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

debra9275 — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 01:42:57 GMT

me too lol

Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

lloydslights — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 01:44:21 GMT

I read the whole story from Icyfroth's Subject Header. I didn't link to the article mentioned.

I assumed the original info from Icy was correct and responded to that introduction.

I understand that dogs are used by a lot of armed forces.

DEB

Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

**meep** — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 01:49:45 GMT

I was simply posting some additional information.

Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

icyfroth — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 08:16:17 GMT

Other dogs have been recovered?

The Taliban are not known to be kind, least of all to animals.

Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

lind9650 — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 09:39:52 GMT

Icy, read the story about Sarbi.

http://www.defence.gov.au/sarbi/

I read it when they first found her. There are lots of photos of her on google images.

Erica

Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

icyfroth — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 10:33:57 GMT

Thanks for that, Erica.

I was fearing the worst for poor Colonel. He looks so dejected.

Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

lind9650 — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 10:45:50 GMT

Icy, nobody knows what will happen to Colonel.

Sarbi was found by an afghan farmer, not the Taliban.

I fear for that poor dog and just pray that he will be rescued and brought home again, never to return to Afghanistan like Sarbi did.

Erica.

Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

freshwater-2 — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 07:42:04 GMT

I have read reports that they said they are treating the dog well.

Gimmee a break... Islamists loath animals, especially dogs.

They consider them filth.

It's their culture.

Please note that I refer to Islamists, not all Muslims.

Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

icyfroth — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 08:10:39 GMT

@freshwaterbeach wrote:
I have read reports that they said they are treating the dog well.
Gimmee a break... Islamists loath animals, especially dogs.
They consider them filth.
It's their culture.
Please note that I refer to Islamists, not all Muslims.

Where did you read reports that they are treating the dog well, freshie?

They laugh at us, the way we love our animals.

I think the only reason poor Colonel would be kept alive is to taunt the US.

Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

freshwater-2 — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 10:11:36 GMT

It has been on a number of news services, Icy.

All claims that it is being treated well have come from the Taliban.

There is also thought that it is not a US dog, but British. I don't know.

I just hope that it survives.....

There is one scenario I have in the back of my mind, the way they dispose of foreign human hostages and film it.

Nothing would surprise me....except if they returned the dog unharmed.

Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

icyfroth — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 13:11:05 GMT

@freshwaterbeach wrote:
It has been on a number of news services, Icy.
All claims that it is being treated well have come from the Taliban.
There is also thought that it is not a US dog, but British. I don't know.
I just hope that it survives.....
There is one scenario I have in the back of my mind, the way they dispose of foreign human hostages and film it.
Nothing would surprise me....except if they returned the dog unharmed.

"Nothing would surprise me....except if they returned the dog unharmed."

same...

Re: Taliban Capture 'US Military Sniffer Dog'

bright.ton42 — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 01:30:28 GMT

Poor Colonel