As the Akhnoor encounter ended with the killing of three militants on Tuesday, the army paid rich tributes to its K9 Phantom, who was killed during the firefight.
Loyal till the end, Phantom stood his ground.
The Indian army on Monday launched a search operation after militants ambushed an army ambulance in the J&K’s Akhnoor region.
While the initial firefight lasted for a short period, the militants fled into nearby forests. The Army, along with Special Forces, including NSG commandos, cordoned off the area and deployed its K9 unit.
During the operation, the army’s four-year-old dog “Phantom” was part of the search team when he suddenly came under fire after closing in on the hiding militant.
Phantom, a member of the army unit conducting the anti-terror operation, took on enemy fire and suffered bullet wounds while fulfilling his duty. He eventually sacrificed his life in service.
The incident occurred near the Asan region in the Sundarbani sector of Akhnoor. During the operation, the army successfully killed all three militants and recovered several warlike materials.
Born on May 25, 2020, the male Belgian Malinois was the army’s assault dog and was assigned to the unit on August 12, 2022. After completing its training, the dog graduated from the Remount Veterinary Corps in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut, as per army officials.
In a post on X, the White Knight Corps said that his “courage, loyalty, and dedication” will never be forgotten.
“We salute the supreme sacrifice of our true hero—a valiant Indian Army dog, #Phantom. As our troops were closing in on the trapped terrorists, #Phantom drew enemy fire, sustaining fatal injuries. His courage, loyalty, and dedication will never be forgotten.”
Phantom Dog served as an assault dog in the K9 unit, a specialised team of trained soldiers used in anti-terror operations and counter-insurgency.
Army dogs are usually equipped with gadgets that enable them to gather intelligence on enemy positions from close range.
Army dogs are trained based on breed and aptitude and are deployed when they are 13–15 months old and retire when they are 8–10 years old.
There is a special award given for their bravery service. The Indian Army usually employs German Shepherds, Labradors, and Belgian Malinois for their intelligence, agility, and work ethics.
In India, army/police dogs generally retire at 8 to 10 years of age. They are considered retired if they fail an annual fitness test or get injured while performing duty. If the retired dog is adopted, the adopter is given certain allowances and a pension to help take care of the dog.
Typically, dogs do not have rank. They are assets,” not “personnel.” Assets are usually unranked, although they receive honorary rank but nothing official.
Upon retiring earlier, euthanasia, or the practice of mercy, was used to kill the retired dogs.
However, in 2016, following Maneka Gandhi’s intervention, the trend of passively killing the retired dogs stopped, and instead, the Indian army then started to set up a rehabilitation program for their veteran canines.
Canines are an indispensable part of the Indian army, as they play a crucial role in intelligence gathering while operating in hostile terrain and extreme weather conditions and performing a wide range of operations.
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