{"id":707519,"date":"2021-09-01T19:20:21","date_gmt":"2021-09-01T23:20:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=707519"},"modified":"2021-09-01T19:20:24","modified_gmt":"2021-09-01T23:20:24","slug":"heres-what-we-know-about-the-working-dogs-allegedly-left-behind-by-the-us-in-afghanistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/heres-what-we-know-about-the-working-dogs-allegedly-left-behind-by-the-us-in-afghanistan\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s What We Know About The Working Dogs Allegedly Left Behind By The US In Afghanistan"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fheres-what-we-know-about-the-working-dogs-allegedly-left-behind-by-the-us-in-afghanistan%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=707519&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/GettyImages-1828589-scaled-e1630517413974.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/photo.php?fbid=10226818088944319&amp;set=a.1095742519807&amp;type=3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Social media posts<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kusi.com\/president-biden-leaves-american-service-dogs-in-afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">news stories<\/a> about the U.S. military allegedly leaving behind working dogs at Kabul\u2019s airport during the withdrawal from Afghanistan have circulated online in recent days. Photos of dogs in crates at the Hamid Karzai International Airport <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sumrkhan1\/status\/1432657048890658817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">went viral<\/a> on Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>The picture of the dog crates appears to trace back to an <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VetSheepdogsUS\/status\/1431884887129161733\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aug. 29 tweet<\/a> from the veteran organization <a href=\"https:\/\/www.veteransheepdogsofamerica.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Veteran Sheepdogs of America<\/a>, which said in the tweet it was \u201cworking on getting working dogs out.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" readability=\"6.7674418604651\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">UPDATE: Kabul Airfield. Working on getting working dogs out. Whatever mess you think Kabul is\u2026 it\u2019s worse!<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3vaYMaMAyd\">https:\/\/t.co\/3vaYMaMAyd<\/a><br \/>@veteransheepdogsofamerica.org <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tLEFICE8eK\">pic.twitter.com\/tLEFICE8eK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Veteran Sheepdogs of America (@VetSheepdogsUS) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VetSheepdogsUS\/status\/1431884887129161733?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 29, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The animal welfare group American Humane on Aug. 30 issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanhumane.org\/press-release\/american-humane-condemns-death-sentence-delivered-to-contract-working-dogs-left-behind-in-kabul-afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">statement<\/a> condemning the U.S. government for allegedly leaving behind \u201cmilitary contract working dogs\u201d at the Kabul airport. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/checkyourfact.com\/2021\/08\/31\/fact-check-taliban-hanging-man-helicopter-afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: Image Claims To Show The Taliban Hanging A Man From A Helicopter)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI 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,\u201d American Human President and CEO Dr. Robin R. Ganzert said, in part, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanhumane.org\/press-release\/american-humane-condemns-death-sentence-delivered-to-contract-working-dogs-left-behind-in-kabul-afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in the statement<\/a>. \u201cThese 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The following day, Department of Defense Press Secretary John Kirby <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PentagonPresSec\/status\/1432733998892175370\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">on Twitter<\/a> refuted claims that the U.S. military had left behind military working dogs. He said in the tweet that the animals pictured in \u201cphotos circulating online\u201d were \u201cunder the care of the Kabul Small Animal Rescue, not dogs under our care.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" readability=\"12.403669724771\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">To correct erroneous reports, the U.S. Military did not leave any dogs in cages at Hamid Karzai International Airport, including the reported military working dogs. Photos circulating online were animals under the care of the Kabul Small Animal Rescue, not dogs under our care.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 John Kirby (@PentagonPresSec) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PentagonPresSec\/status\/1432733998892175370?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 31, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cTo correct erroneous reports, the U.S. Military did not leave any dogs in cages at Hamid Karzai International Airport, including the reported military working dogs. Photos circulating online were animals under the care of the Kabul Small Animal Rescue, not dogs under our care,\u201d Kirby wrote.<\/p>\n<p>The Marine Corps Forces Central Command <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USMARCENT\/status\/1432738872476246017\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">also tweeted<\/a> Aug. 31 that \u201cJoint Task Force \u2013 Crisis Response did not leave any dogs\u201d at Kabul\u2019s airport, adding, \u201cPhotos circulating are not of military working dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KSAnimalRescue\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kabul Small Animal Rescue<\/a> (KSAR), an animal rescue organization, has been attempting to evacuate rescues and other animals from Afghanistan, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stripes.com\/theaters\/middle_east\/2021-09-01\/animal-rescue-clinic-founder-stays-in-afghanistan-to-pursue-evacuation-2739310.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Stars and Stripes<\/a>. The group\u2019s founder, Charlotte Maxwell-Jones, chose to remain in Afghanistan after the U.S.\u2019s withdrawal to continue trying to get the animals out of the country, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n<p>USA Today White House reporter <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mrbrownsir\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matt Brown<\/a> tweeted Aug. 31 that the Defense Department <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mrbrownsir\/status\/1432733292697169920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a> the animals in the viral picture were \u201cstrays\u201d and \u201ccould not be flown out via US MIL flights because of customs.\u201d The Pentagon also said it was prioritizing \u201cevacuating people first,\u201d according to Brown\u2019s tweet.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" readability=\"8.8065843621399\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">UPDATE: The <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DeptofDefense?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@DeptofDefense<\/a> says that the dogs in the viral photo were strays who \u201ccould not be flown out via US MIL flights because of customs \u2026 Again, we prioritized evacuating people first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Matt Brown (@mrbrownsir) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mrbrownsir\/status\/1432733292697169920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 31, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/importation\/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states\/high-risk-dog-ban-frn.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">suspended<\/a>, starting July 14, the importation of dogs from countries \u201cclassified by CDC as high risk for dog rabies\u201d and countries \u201cthat are NOT at high risk if the dogs have been in high-risk countries during the previous 6 months.\u201d The CDC lists Afghanistan as a country considered to be high-risk for rabies, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/importation\/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states\/high-risk.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the agency\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>KSAR <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KSAnimalRescue\/status\/1428841930125889541\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">previously tweeted<\/a> Aug. 20 that it needed \u201cawareness and financial help\u201d to evacuate \u201cdogs and cats left behind as people flee.\u201d The animal rescue had taken in animals from owners such as other rescue organizations, embassy workers and defense contractors who couldn\u2019t take their animals with them, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/08\/25\/1030227075\/afghanistan-airlift-evacuation-animal-rescue\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR<\/a> reported Aug. 25. On Aug. 27, before the photo of the dogs in cages went viral, KSAR <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KSAnimalRescue\/status\/1431346266244583424\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tweeted<\/a> asking the U.S. military to \u201cplease allow these animals to get out incl 50+ service dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) International said in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spcai.org\/news\/press\/urgent-update-and-action-plan-from-charlotte-kabul-small-animal-rescue-ksar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aug. 30 statement<\/a> that KSAR had 130 dogs under its care, including 46 working dogs. Maxwell-Jones, the founder of KSAR, was forced to leave Kabul\u2019s airport on Aug. 30, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spcai.org\/news\/press\/urgent-update-and-action-plan-from-charlotte-kabul-small-animal-rescue-ksar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the end, the dogs and their caretakers were explicitly NOT allowed to board military aircraft, and numerous private charter aircraft were not granted access to the airport either,\u201d the SPCA International statement <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spcai.org\/news\/press\/urgent-update-and-action-plan-from-charlotte-kabul-small-animal-rescue-ksar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">read<\/a> in part. \u201cCharlotte was informed that most of the KSAR dogs had to be released into the airport on August 30 as the airport was evacuated \u2013 turning once rescued shelter dogs into homeless strays. They were not given access to the flight we had secured to transport them out of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are within the airport in an area used for housing employees at the far end of the flight line,\u201d the statement went on to say. \u201cWe haven\u2019t been able to confirm the number of dogs released, nor can we confirm whether the U.S. Military evacuated the 46 working dogs that had been under KSAR\u2019s care when they left.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to an <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mrbrownsir\/status\/1432733406056550400\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aug. 31 tweet<\/a> from Brown, the Defense Department said, \u201cKabul Small Animal Rescue told us they had a contract plane coming, but that flight never showed up or contacted us. All our working dogs left with their handlers. We would not leave them behind. To suggest otherwise is ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SPCAINT\/status\/1433136758301024263\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sept. 1 tweet<\/a>, the SPCA International clarified that the 46 working dogs are \u201ccontract working dogs, NOT working dogs owned by the U.S. military,\u201d explaining, \u201cContract working dogs are dogs owned and trained by private companies and are contracted for work that can include military and other operations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Defense Department spokesperson Eric Pahon told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/afghanistan\/2021\/08\/31\/no-the-military-did-not-leave-its-working-dogs-behind-dod-says\/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=Socialflow+NAV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Military Times<\/a> there were an estimated 150 contract dogs left in Kabul. He also said, \u201cDespite 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,\u201d according to the outlet.<\/p>\n<p>Military contracting company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.garda.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GardaWorld<\/a> said in a statement to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/afghanistan\/2021\/08\/31\/no-the-military-did-not-leave-its-working-dogs-behind-dod-says\/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=Socialflow+NAV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Military Times<\/a> that it is working to get its dogs and \u201call animals\u201d under KSAR\u2019s care out of Afghanistan. <a href=\"https:\/\/checkyourfact.com\/2021\/08\/20\/fact-check-video-people-kabul-welcoming-taliban\/\"><strong>(RELATED: No, This Video Does Not Show The People Of Kabul Welcoming The Taliban Into The City)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>American Humane spokesperson Laura Sheehan said to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2021\/09\/01\/dogs-kabul-airport\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Washington Post<\/a> that there are an estimated \u201c50 contract-working dogs left\u201d who would have been \u201ccontracted to the U.S. military to provide support.\u201d She also told the outlet, \u201cGiven the status of the contractor dogs, the U.S. government doesn\u2019t view those animals as its responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<div readability=\"8.6835164835165\">\n<div data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" readability=\"13.99010989011\">\n<p data-el=\"text\">Jason Johnson, founder of the charity <a href=\"https:\/\/projectk9hero.org\/pages\/about-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Project K-9 Hero<\/a>, also told The Washington Post that there were an estimated 50 contract working dogs still left in Afghanistan as well as some 150 pets owned by Americans and strays. He said, \u201cWe have no confirmation those dogs are still in crates and still alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<div data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" readability=\"8\">\n<p data-el=\"text\">Check Your Fact reached out to both the Defense Department and Kabul Small Animal Rescue and will update this article if&nbsp; a response is provided.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Social media posts and news stories about the U.S. military allegedly leaving behind working dogs at Kabul\u2019s airport during the withdrawal from Afghanistan have circulated online in recent days. Photos &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-707519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=707519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=707519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=707519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=707519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}