German Shepherd Saves UK Troops From ISIS Ambush in Northern Iraq

A German shepherd reported saved the lives of a team of Special Air Service (SAS) fighters in Iraq after they were ambushed by ISIS militants.
German Shepherd Saves UK Troops From ISIS Ambush in Northern Iraq
A U.S. military dog is seen at Bagram air base March 22, 2002 in Afghanistan. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Jonathan Zhou
5/9/2016
Updated:
5/11/2016

A German shepherd reportedly saved the lives of a team of Special Air Service (SAS) fighters in Iraq after they were ambushed by ISIS militants. 

The dog, which was trained by the US army, had left the skirmish uninjured, and has been praised as a hero for saving the British servicemen. 

British soldiers were returning from a 10-day training program with Peshmerga fighters when they were hit by a homemade bomb and ambushed by 50 ISIS militants. 

The British soldiers split up from their vehicles to take cover, and then ISIS militants attacked them from behind. 

That’s when the German shepherd was let off his leash, and charged at the ISIS militants, biting the face of one and the legs and arms of another. 

“Military dogs sometimes accompany the SAS on operations. They are often used in strike operations and may well enter a building before any troops,” a source told the Daily Star Sunday. “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.”

With the help of US air support, the British troops were able to return to safety. 

This is believed to be the first time an attack dog has saved soldiers’ lives in Iraq or Afghanistan.