A brave SAS soldier ran through gunfire in order to save an injured army dog that had been shot after it helped to kill a sniper. The unnamed canine handler made his way to the wounded Belgian shepherd dog and carried him 50 yards to safety through dangerous territory in Afghanistan, the Daily Mail reports.
- The soldier was not going to let the dog die. After managing to get the animal to a helicopter, he helped stem the blood loss from the dog’s wounds to keep him alive. As a source told the Sunday Mirror: “This is as heroic as it gets.”
- The SAS had been targeting Taliban militants. The incident happened in Kabul last year before coalition forces left the area. The SAS was trying to neutralize 14 Taliban militants who had been executing locals that helped government troops. While SAS and Afghan commandos were immediately attacked by the Taliban when they landed in the area, the dog helped to flush out a sniper before being shot itself.
- The dog was searching for another target when it was hit. “It was badly injured and bleeding profusely,” the source said. “The handler ran across, picked up the dog and carried him to a safe area. Once the target had been neutralized, the SAS withdrew and were picked up by the choppers. The dog was in a bad way, bleeding from gunshot or blast injuries. But he survived and was sent back to the UK.”
- The soldier is now said to be in line for a bravery medal. I think pretty much everyone can agree this is a well-deserved honor.
