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FACT BRIEF

Did the United States leave behind military working dogs in cages in Afghanistan?

By Alexis Tereszcuk
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NO

A photo of dogs in cages in front of a military helicopter has convinced many people that the U.S. military left them behind in Afghanistan.

The Defense Department has been kept busy since then explaining that none of them are military working dogs.

Eric Pahon, a Pentagon spokesman, told Lead Stories: "The U.S. military did not leave any dogs in cages at Hamid Karzai International Airport....No military working dogs were left behind. Photos circulating online were animals under the care of the Kabul Small Animal Rescue, not dogs under the care of the U.S. military."

It appears that several contract companies that had dogs in Afghanistan were working with the Kabul Small Animal Rescue organization to safely evacuate them.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
John Kirby Tweet by Pentagon spokesman
Military Times No, the military did not leave its working dogs behind, DoD says
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.