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Dogs of war sniff for Afghanistan mines

Dak, a German shepherd, is trained to sniff out plastic land mines in Afghanistan.

From Harris Whitbeck
CNN

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Abdul Wahid trusts his dog Dak as he does few humans. And every day, Dak puts his life on the line for his master.

They are equal partners in a very dangerous enterprise -- clearing thousands of mines from the battlefields of Afghanistan.

"I can say I trained these dogs, and I know that the dog will not make a mistake," Wahid said.

Dak, a 3-year-old German shepherd, is one of 187 dogs that make up one of the most effective mine removal forces in the country.

"I think that the dog's work is more efficient than the deminers' work because mine detectors can't find plastic mines under the land. But dogs can find plastic mines under the land because they are smelling the explosive," Wahid said.

The dogs are trained to sniff and immediately stop and sit when they detect explosives in the ground, letting their handlers come in to deactivate the mines.

They respond to commands in English or German, and in Afghanistan, a country riddled with literally millions of hidden land mines, they have been used to clear thousands of acres.

Amazingly, only five of these dogs have been killed since the mine removal program started in 1989. Trainers say it is because of their uncanny sense of smell and their way of perceiving danger.

Training takes about 18 months. At a kennel and training center outside of Kabul, the dogs are groomed from birth for their dangerous job. They're taught to identify the smell of explosives and, as a reward, to fetch a plastic ball.

Their trainers say the reward for their country is much greater.

"Do you know that these dogs help us very much and they have found many mines under the land," Wahid said. "They cleared for us many minefields."

They are some of Afghanistan's silent heroes. And quite possibly its best friends.