Dozens of dogs left at Kabul airport; 'Not ours,' says Pentagon
While it's true that dozens of dogs have been left at the Kabul airport after the United States concluded the withdrawal of its troops, the Pentagon confirmed that those are not US military dogs.
After reports claimed that dozens of dogs have been left by the US forces at the mercy of the Taliban, waiting to be slaughtered, the Pentagon called those reports 'erroneous' and said that the US military did not leave any dog in the airport and the photos and videos that are doing the rounds on social media are not those of the military, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby tweeted.
The reports emerged after an image of dogs inside cages in front of a demilitarised helicopter went viral on social media. The Pentagon claimed that those dogs did not belong to the US military. Kabul Small Animal Rescue was in the custody of those dogs, Kirby said.
"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," Kirby said.
Kabul Small Animal Rescue is an animal rights organisation operating in Afghanistan for the past year. It had initially planned to evacuate some animals but was forced to leave their cages at the airport as dogs were not allowed on military aircraft and private charter aircraft were not allowed into Kabul.
“We are heartbroken that the aircraft we secured to transport the rescued dogs of Kabul Small Animal Rescue out of Afghanistan were not ultimately allowed to take the animals and their caretakers safely out of the country,” said Lori Kalef, director of Programs at SPCA International.
So the dogs under their custody had to be released into the airport which turned them into homeless strays, a statement from the KSAR said. It also said that the NGO will return to the airport when it is safe and will re-rescue the animals.
People for the ethical treatment of animals (Peta) started a petition based on reports and said: "...dozens of US military working dogs, numerous animal companions belonging to evacuated Americans, and more than 100 dogs previously rescued from the streets of Afghanistan along with an unknown number of rescued cats and the humans caring for these animals were left behind in Afghanistan after the last US plane left Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul." The statement also added that Peta was trying to verify these reports.
"Red tape and catastrophes have apparently wrecked every attempt to secure a flight out for these animals and their caretakers. While the cats and staff are reportedly safe for the time being, many dogs—including a pug belonging to an American Embassy worker—may have been let loose to fend for themselves on and around airport grounds. These animals and the humans who have been caring for them desperately need you to speak up!" the animal rights group said in its statement.
