Taliban Captures Military Dog

A new Taliban video shows what might be the world's first canine POW. In the video, the militants claim to have captured a military service dog during a battle with American forces in Afghanistan's Laghman province in December, reports the Washington Post. Both ABC and Fox News quote Pentagon sources as saying the dog actually belongs to another nation in the US-led coalition force, perhaps Britain. The dog is seen on a chain, outfitted with the electronic gear it wore during the raid, say the Taliban.

“I don’t remember seeing a dog used as a hostage,” says the founder of the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors such propaganda. The dog is believed to be a Belgian Malinois, a breed favored by special ops troops for its prowess in sniffing out explosives during raids. A spokesman for the coalition force confirms that a dog went missing during a December operation. (More Taliban stories.)