WASHINGTON – The Pentagon disputes claims it failed to evacuate all the dogs that worked with the United States during operations in Afghanistan after viral images and reports to the contrary.
In the closing days of America’s longest war, conservative activists, politicians and animal lovers alarmed online that the United States was not evacuating its service dogs.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon denied that dogs that worked with the US military were left in the country, while acknowledging that a series of social media posts about the non-military evacuation of pets from Kabul had sown. the confusion.
“To correct the misinformation, the US military did not leave any dogs in cages at Hamid Karzai International Airport, including” military working dogs, “” said Eric Pahon, spokesman for the Department of defense.
Animal evacuation efforts go viral, misinformation abounds
On August 27, Kabul Small Animal Rescue, an animal welfare group that took care of animals injured or displaced during the war in Afghanistan,posted on Twitter that he was trying to evacuate the animals in the aircraft hold leave Kabul airport.
The animals were airlifted as part of the group’s “Operation Hercules,” a crowdfunding effort in the country. This work had gone on for days before the viral images began to circulate.
An old post of the group on social networks describes the animals as “dogs and cats left behind as people flee” in Kabul. He made no mention of the animals being service animals or contracted to work with the U.S. military.
KSAR, a subsidiary of SPCA International, did not immediately return requests for comment.
Sunday, an image posted on Twitter by the veterans organization Veteran Sheepdogs of America shows animals in crates in front of a damaged military plane. The message says the plane is at Hamid Karzai International Airport.
And on Monday, the chief executive officer of American Humane, an animal welfare group, wrote an open letter criticizing the military for allegedly leaving behind animals that had worked with the United States.
The image of the fund and others have been shared online by experts and lawmakers critical of the broader U.S. pullout.
“Infuriating. Biden has blocked the Americans. He has blocked our allies. Now he has blocked our staunch K-9 warriors,” said Senator Rick Scott, R-Fla., wrote on Twitter, by posting the letter from American Humane.
Representative Nicole Malliotakis, RN.Y. tweeted a similar sentiment: “Really sad and heartless! Administrator Biden not only abandoned our Afghan citizens and partners. They also abandoned dozens of service dogs.”
Conservative activists have also rallied around the plight of military animals, circulating pictures and memes and launching a hashtag on social networks.
Pentagon: the US military did not leave dogs in cages
The Defense Department, however, denies that any military service dogs or contract animals have been left in the country.
“The photos circulating online were of animals in Kabul Small Animal Rescue custody, not dogs in US military care. Despite a complicated and dangerous retrograde mission underway, US forces have gone to great lengths to help Kabul Small Animal Rescue as much as possible, ”said Pahon.
He noted that “the priority mission was the evacuation of vulnerable US citizens, SIVs and Afghans,” not animals.
The Defense Ministry further cited “customs regulations” as an obstacle to the evacuation of “stray dogs” from the country. The department did not deny the authenticity of the viral image but disputed that the animals worked with the military in any capacity.
“Kabul Small Animal Rescue told us that a contract plane was coming, but this flight never showed up or contacted us. All of our working dogs left with their handlers. We wouldn’t leave them behind. It’s ridiculous to suggest otherwise, ”Pahon said.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has banned the travel of dogs from countries with high rabies incidence to the United States. Afghanistan is one of those countries.
The torrent online came after the army has been criticized on social media for photos and videos this allegedly showed that US forces were prioritizing the evacuation of service dogs over Afghans fleeing the Taliban.
US forces withdrew from the country on Tuesday morning, meeting a deadline set by President Joe Biden for US forces to withdraw from the country. Secretary of State Antony Blinken estimated that at least 100 Americans in the country who wanted to leave were still there.
The Defense Department said it evacuated more than 124,000 people from Afghanistan, including about 6,000 Americans, calling it the largest airlift in US history.
Follow Matthew Brown online @mrbrownsir.
