On anti-insurgency operations in J&K, the real dogs of war

After a long, hard day at work in counter-insurgency operations, Tractor and Sam trudge into their respective camps located in a remote village of south Kashmir and get a hero’s welcome each day.

Some of the Army personnel pat them, while others throw a ball and some offer biscuits for a great job done by the two canines during an anti-militancy operation by detecting an improvised explosive device (IED) or alerting troops about suspicious movements.

Tractor, a Rottweiler, and Sam, a German Shepherd, have been deployed with a unit of the Army’s Rashtriya Rifles, which keeps a vigil on sensitive areas of south Kashmir covering Kokernag, Achabal, Magam forests and Pahalgam.

Both had the distinction of being part of the operation in which young Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani and two others were killed on July 8.

“After the successful operation, these two colleagues of mine also had a sense of relief along with other team mates,” says an Army Major referring to Tractor and Sam.

They are fondly taken care of and engaged by soldiers who devote a considerable amount of their free time to give company to their “colleagues” who keep a watch when they sleep in their make-shift tents or accommodation, or walk down the roads which could be mined by terrorists.