Why The Treatment Of Military Dogs In Afghanistan Has Twitter Fuming
It's hard to imagine leaving your furry friend behind when returning home from being abroad for several years, but, according to the New York Post, that is what happened when some American military members left Afghanistan. If you have been keeping up with the military's exit from Kabul, Afghanistan, you know how tragic the events have been. It's not just people that are impacted by this, but also the dogs who once worked alongside American troops.
American Humane's president, Dr. Robin R. Ganzert, gave a statement regarding the dogs left behind in Afghanistan, expressing the heartbreak that the circumstance has brought. "I am devastated by reports that the American government is pulling out of Kabul and leaving behind brave U.S. military contract working dogs to be tortured and killed at the hand of our enemies," Ganzert stated. "These brave dogs do the same dangerous, lifesaving work as our military working dogs, and deserved a far better fate than the one to which they have been condemned."
Of course, the idea of dogs being left behind to receive an unknown fate has both animal rights advocates and dog lovers everywhere seeing red.
Despite the outrage, the situation may not be what it seems
Twitter users were not shy when it came to giving their opinions on the situation via the online platform. One user tweeted, "Numerous reports of loyal American working dogs left behind in Afghanistan to their horrific fate. It is a gruesome story if true. I am sickened to think our sorry government would leave our dogs behind too." Another Twitter user stated, "We left... dogs... in crates... in Afghanistan... to die of hunger... I'm not sure what to say."
Even Donald Trump Jr. got involved, tweeting out, "The Biden administration didn't just abandon Americans in Afghanistan. They even abandoned hard-working service dogs!!! WTF."
However, the Pentagon has disputed the claims that they left any animals behind overseas. According to Yahoo! News, officials released a statement, stating that while the priority was to evacuate Afghans and United States citizens, "the U.S. military did not leave any dogs in cages at Hamid Karzai International Airport." A Defense Department spokesman continued, "Photos circulating online were animals under the care of the Kabul Small Animal Rescue, not dogs under the care of the U.S. military. Despite an ongoing complicated and dangerous retrograde mission, U.S. forces went to great lengths to assist the Kabul Small Animal Rescue as much as possible."
So, while there are many animals to be rescued still in Afghanistan, it appears they are not military dogs.