Pentagon debunks reports military dogs were left at Kabul airport

Abandoned dogs are new headach at the Kabul airport. The Pentagon shot down reports that the U.S. military had abandoned dozens of military service dogs in Kabul while conducting its final withdrawal from Afghanistan.  It is said that 51 working dogs were found abandond in cages. Meanwhile , Veteran Sheepdogs of America has said that it was continuing to help evacuate dozens of contracted military working dogs from the country. 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.

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.

— John Kirby (@PentagonPresSec) August 31, 2021

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.