A hero dog is being praised for saving the lives of a group of SAS fighters facing off against ISIS in Iraq.
The U.S. Army dog, who is still in training, had just finished a ten day training programme with a mainly British special forces team assisting Peshmerga fighters in northern Iraq.
The dog was on board in a convoy of four vehicles heading back to base when they were ambushed by a crew of ISIS militants, The Inquisitr reports.
According to reports, one of the crew’s vehicles was destroyed by a bomb as about 50 Islamic members attacked. Forced to take cover, the SAS split into three groups and were taking heavy fire by jihadists attacking them from behind.
When the British soldiers attempted to move to better cover, a U.S. soldier released the German Shepherd and it ran straight for the closest ISIS fighter, taking him down and tearing at his arms and face.
The dog apparently then left his first target and attacked a second, reports said, ‘savaging his arms and legs’ – allowing the SAS crew to escape.
A 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 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 it’s 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.
It’s also thought that this is the first time that an attack dog has been used to directly save soldiers’ lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Amazing.
