The Kerala Police has announced that it will induct Belgian Malinois, the dog breed involved in the raids that brought down Islamic State chief Abu Bakr-al Baghdadi and al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. Including five puppies, 15 canines will now be a part of the Kerala Police. They are expected to be utilised in missions including anti-Naxal operations. Tomin Thachankary, the battalion ADGP under whom the dog squad operates, told Manorama that the Kerala Police has purchased Belgian Malinois (approximately Rs 90,000 for a 45-day-old puppy), Labradors and Beagles. Once purchased, the dogs will be sent to Punjab or Thrissur police academy for a year's training. The dogs are being procured from the Punjab Kennel Institute.
The fierce Belgian Malinois can tear any opponent limb-from-limb. Premier agencies such as the Special Protection Group, National Investigation Agency, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) make use of the services of these canines.
US President Donald Trump had praised Conan, the Belgian Malinois injured in the Baghdadi raid and since become a viral sensation. The dog is a four-year veteran of the SOCOM Canine Program and has been a member of approximately 50 combat missions. Conan was injured by exposed live electrical cables in the tunnel after Baghdadi detonated his vest beneath the compound. Baghdadi's safe house in northwest Syria was stormed on Sunday by special forces along with military working dogs and chased the world's most wanted terrorist leader as he tried to flee. He was cornered in a tunnel beneath the building. The Baghdadi raid was reminiscent of the US Navy SEALs deploying the same breed during the raid on al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan's Abottabad city in May 2011 that resulted in his death.
-Inputs from Onmanorama
