Defense spokesman John Kirby just tweeted to clarify that the military did not leave any dogs in cages at the airport in Kabul:
To correct erroneous reports, the U.S. Military did not leave any dogs in cages at Hamid Karzai International Airport, including the reported military working dogs. Photos circulating online were animals under the care of the Kabul Small Animal Rescue, not dogs under our care.
— John Kirby (@PentagonPresSec) August 31, 2021
He says the photos “circulating online were animals under the care of the Kabul Small Animal Rescue, not dogs under our care”.
As we told you in the last post, the 51 dogs released yesterday are in the care of someone in Kabul:
UPDATE: The 51 working dogs are being watered and fed by a contractor and an Afghan refugee family we are rescuing. They are safe. Working on last minute details in complete chaos of Kabul.
— Veteran Sheepdogs of America (@VetSheepdogsUS) August 30, 2021
UPDATE: I’m seeing some discussion about the dogs, saying they weren’t technically the property of the military but they did serve with them. Also some people believe Kirby is using specific language to try and hide what they really did, saying only they didn’t leave them in cages.