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The dogs that sniffed out Osama Bin Laden now to fight fidayeens in India

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Google Oneindia News

New Delhi, July 18: The squad of Belgian Malinois which shot to fame after sniffing out Osama Bin Laden at Abbottabad will now be seen in India. The CISF will train these dogs to thwart fedayeen strikes both in the Delhi Metro and Indira Gandhi International Airport.

With several warnings of terror strikes at the Metro and Airport, it was decided that these dogs would be pressed into service. Both these installations are currently manned by the CISF.

The dogs that snuffed out Osama Bin Laden now to fight fidayeens in India

It may be recalled that these dogs had been deployed in the Kaziranga national park for anti-poaching activities.

The dogs would be helpful in detecting fidayeens. The current dog squad that the CISF has is exceptionally good at detecting explosives. However when it comes to detecting suicide bombers or fidayeens, the existing squad is not up to the mark.

Once the new squad is in place, it would help the CISF detect and pin down suicide attackers. This squad would be used only to pin down fidayeens and would not be part of the explosive squad.

Recently, exercises were conducted to test the ability of our dog squad to counter fidayeen attackers.

Our men posed as terrorists and tied explosives around them. The dogs were let off to detect the explosives. Our existing squad has expertise in detecting explosives but their role in detecting fidayeen attackers was not so impactful," a Hindustan Times report said while quoting a senior officer.

About the Belgian Malinois:

Belgian Malinois are squarely built, proud, and alert herders standing 22 to 26 inches. Strong and well-muscled, but more elegant than bulky, there's an honest, no-frills look about them, as befit dogs built to work hard for their feed. A breed hallmark is the proud carriage of the head. Coat colors range from a rich fawn to mahogany. The black ears and mask accentuate bright, questioning eyes the color of dark Belgian chocolate, says the American Kennel Club.

Well-raised and trained Malinois are usually active, intelligent, friendly, protective, alert and hard-working. Belgian Malinois exhibit energy levels that are among the highest of all dog breeds. A typical Malinois will have puppy-like energy until the age of three, though it is not uncommon for them to exhibit this energy level until the age of five. Many have excessively high prey drive. Some may be excessively exuberant or playful, especially when young.

They can be destructive or develop neurotic behaviors if not provided enough stimulation and exercise. This often causes problems for owners who are unfamiliar with the breed and are not prepared to provide the exercise they require or a job for them to do. They are medium-sized, strong dogs that require consistent obedience training, and enjoy being challenged with new tasks. They are known to be very easy to train, due to their high drive for rewards.

In Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and other European countries, as well as in the United States, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong, the Malinois is bred primarily as a working dog for personal protection, detection, police work, search and rescue, and sport work like Schutzhund.

The United States Secret Service and Royal Australian Air Force use the breed along with other working lines such as Dutch Shepherd, and also GSD. In the United States Armed Forces, German shepherds lead the way, but close behind follows the Belgian Malinois.

In India, The ITBP and National Security Guard (NSG) commando unit have inducted Malinois breed into its K-9 unit.

Malinois dogs are used by the Oketz, the K-9 unit of the Israel Defense Forces. Malinois are a suitable size to be picked up by their handlers when required, while still being large enough to control human aggressors. United States Navy SEALs used a Belgian Malinois war dog named Cairo in Operation Neptune Spear, in which Osama bin Laden was killed.

Belgian Malinois have also been called a "game changer" in the fight against rhino poaching in South Africa's Kruger National Park, where one dog, Killer, has been responsible for more than 100 arrests, according to Wikipedia.

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