A German shepherd dog is being praised for his heroism during an attack upon an SAS team by a group of Islamic terrorists in Iraq.
The German shepherd, a U.S. Army dog still in training, had just finished a ten-day stint with a mainly British special forces team assisting Peshmerga fighters in northern Iraq. The dog was on board in a caravan of four vehicles heading back to base, when they were ambushed by the Islamic group.
SAS team saved from ISIS in Iraq when Alsatian attacks ISIS fighters https://t.co/nyGG7dwmKp pic.twitter.com/Ln7T8irlJo
— ASimplePatriot (@ASimplePatriot) May 8, 2016
The Daily Star reports that one of the vehicles was destroyed by a homemade bomb. The group had to abandon their vehicles and take cover, as about 50 Islamic members attacked .
The SAS had split into three groups, and when the British soldiers tried to move out, the jihadists attacked them from behind. The Daily Star reported that the soldiers were surrounded.
“The SAS were pinned down and split between three locations while taking fire from two heavy machine guns mounted on Toyota trucks.”
The SAS had called for air support, but were under heavy fire and at risk of being overrun.
The dog was with its American handler and becoming very agitated by the activity, reports said.
When the Brits attempted to move to better cover, and were flanked by a couple of jihadists, the American released his dog.
“THE DOG OF WAR” SAS team ambushed by evil #ISIS jihadis saved by faithful pooch. https://t.co/wUyhk6EFwl pic.twitter.com/D5KG9FKhTJ
— Aud™ (@CodeAud) May 8, 2016
The German shepherd ran straight for the closest ISIS fighter, dodging bullets to reach him, as both fighters were shooting at him. He hit the man hard, taking him down and tearing at his arms and face.
The dog then left his first target and attacked the second jihadi, reports said, “savaging his arms and legs.”
Both of the ISIS members turned and ran for their lives, screaming.
The dog came back to his handler with his tail wagging, one source told The Daily Star .
“Military dogs sometimes accompany the SAS on operations. They are often used in strike operations and may well enter a building before any troops.
“The Alsatian (British name for German shepherd) was with the team in a training role but when the troops came under fire it was desperate to get involved.
“It could sense the tension and had an overpowering urge to protect its handler and the other troops.
“When the dog was unleashed it went after the greatest threat without consideration for its own safety – this is what they are trained to do.
“A snarling Alsatian running at you is very frightening and probably not something the jihadis had encountered. The dog did its job and returned to its handler with its tail wagging.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ozNZ-qJ_O0
The flagged U.S. jets arrived, swooping down and driving away the rest of the ISIS fighters.
Details of this attack emerged just days after US Navy Seal Charlie Keating, 31, was killed in the same area where this SAS incident with the dog allegedly took place. Keating, the third American to be killed in combat since the US military launched IS-related missions in 2014, died near the city of Irbil in northern Iraq on May 3.
IB Times reported that British troops – together with their US counterparts – successfully kidnapped three IS chiefs while carrying out raids in Mosul, which is still the largest city in Iraq under ISIS control.
These top-secret “snatch missions” have been mounting on known IS compounds in the region.
This particular German shepherd mentioned in the SAS incident is the first dog to be praised for directly saving the lives of its troops.
[Image via Anurake Singto-on/Shutterstock]