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SAS parachute dogs of war into Taliban bases
German shepherds reportedly have video cameras strapped to their heads to seek out insurgents on British special forces' missions
UK special forces in Afghanistan are parachuting German shepherd dogs with video cameras into Taliban strongholds to search buildings for insurgents, with at least eight animals killed during operations.
The dogs are strapped to the chest of their handlers for the drops, and cameras are attached to their heads to feed back images of buildings and surrounding areas. The tactics have been adapted from US special forces, but the Ministry of Defence said it would not comment on a report on operations by SAS troops.
The dogs are reportedly trained to attack armed people, and eight of them have died in action so far. "But that would be eight SAS men," a source told the Times.
The MoD has an official policy of never commenting on any aspect of any special forces' operation. But that policy has been increasingly undermined by members of the special forces and by comments from ministers and commanders.
As prime minister, Gordon Brown revealed that there were 500 British special forces operating in Afghanistan and Tony Blair praised them in his autobiography, A Journey. General David Petraeus, commander of US and Nato-led forces in Afghanistan, has also praised them.
SAS troops deployed in Iraq, where they were engaged in "kill or capture" missions against al-Qaida insurgents and Saddam Hussein lieutenants, have in the past two years switched to Afghanistan, joining their naval counterparts, the SBS.
They have been carrying out what military sources describe as "decapitation" operations aimed at Taliban commanders in Helmand and Kandahar provinces.
British newspapers reported last month that the SAS was killing Taliban fighters in Helmand on an "industrial scale" with a quarter of senior commanders, several hundred, dead since the spring. Petraeus has said UK and US forces were fighting at an unprecedented tempo in Afghanistan. But some military sources warn that the tactics are leading to Taliban commanders being replaced by younger insurgents, who are less likely to be attracted to possible peace deals.
offerings, and encouragement, by the lure of money, to lay down their arms.
Professor Anthony King, of Exeter University who has been embedded with British forces in Helmand, warned in a recent address to the Chatham House thinktank said that though British special forces had played an important role in Afghanistan, "there has been a tendency for them to operate according to their own kill or capture mandate."
He added: "Given their importance, it is essential that they are the topic of public discussion about British military command".
SAS parachute dogs of war into Taliban bases | UK news | The Guardian
