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Dogs Of War - Afghanistan
Police K-9 Magazine
Kris Evers, Brian Waters & Patrick Strait
Winter 2007
Dogs Of War -
Afghanistan | Preview Only >
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Police K-9 Magazine.
No longer are the days of the Military Working
Dog (MWD) Handler to expect to stay in his
branch of service. As the war in Afghanistan
changes, so does the mission of the K-9 Unit. At a
remote location in the northeastern mountains of
Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border, sits a US Army
Forward Operating Base. Attached to the US Army
Infantry unit are four dog teams, two Air Force and two
Navy, two explosive dogs and two narcotic dogs, all four
being patrol dogs. Their mission: support the
missions of the Infantry as they flush out and eliminate
the Taliban and other terrorists, during what is being
called the fiercest fighting Afghanistan has seen since
the beginning of the war.One of those teams are Air Force Staff Sergeant Kristopher Evers and his partner Aghbar, from
the United States Air Force Academy in
Colorado. Aghbar is a 7-year-old German
shepherd trained in explosives detection and
patrol. “I did not realize what I was getting
into on this deployment; back home we have a Law
Enforcement mission, so I am kind of lost
without my patrol car and ticket book,” Evers
chuckles.
On a dark weekday night in late September, while
in his tent, Evers cleans his weapons, checks
his gear, and packs his K-9 medical bag, as he
prepares for a mission. “We are going to take
down one of the top suspected Improvised
Explosive Device (IED) makers in this area.
Aghbar and I will be riding patrol, and when the
Infantry guys capture our suspect, Aghbar will
search for any hidden devices or explosives at
this guy’s home.” This is Evers first mission
outside the wire. “I am a little nervous,
because it is new to me.”…
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