Parting Shot for May 4, 2009: Not all enemies are human
Posted by M. Scott Mahaskey
Tom Brown/Staff
It’s not just Taliban fighters that Marines worry about in Afghanistan. Burly and aggressive Afghan dogs are everywhere. When threatened, they can let out deep-throated barks, bare their teeth and stand on their hind legs. They can be as imposing and fierce as small bears, showing little resemblance to domesticated dogs in the U.S.Marines encounter the dogs, often chained, as they gather intelligence among poppy farmers in the Farah province town of Bakwa. If the dogs aren’t restrained, Marines saythey have no choice but to shoot them in self-defense.