HOW K9 DOG KUGA SAVED HIS TEAM FROM AN AMBUSH
On August 26, 2011, a patrol of the Australian SAS was flown by helicopter into the Khas Uruzgan district in Afghanistan to capture a senior Taliban leader. What the patrol did not know: the Taliban fighters were already waiting for them and had set an ambush. 
Part of the team was the Belgian Shepherd “Kuga”, who was let off the leash by his handler to scout ahead. Kuga ran left and then forward, down to a creek he wanted to cross. As the dog swam through the water, several insurgents took aim at him and opened fire. His handler watched the rounds hit the water around him, but Kuga did not stop. He came out on the far bank and went straight for the first shooter, locking his bite onto him. In the struggle the insurgent aimed directly at Kuga, fired and hit him at least once. Kuga let go, which allowed the Taliban fighter to break away. A few meters on, the man stopped, turned around and fired several more rounds from his AK-47 at Kuga, who took 5 hits. Two rounds struck his ear, one his toe and one his cheek, exiting again at the neck. The fifth caught him in the chest, exited at the shoulder, broke his left leg and left fragments around his spine.
Part of the team was the Belgian Shepherd “Kuga”, who was let off the leash by his handler to scout ahead. Kuga ran left and then forward, down to a creek he wanted to cross. As the dog swam through the water, several insurgents took aim at him and opened fire. His handler watched the rounds hit the water around him, but Kuga did not stop. He came out on the far bank and went straight for the first shooter, locking his bite onto him. In the struggle the insurgent aimed directly at Kuga, fired and hit him at least once. Kuga let go, which allowed the Taliban fighter to break away. A few meters on, the man stopped, turned around and fired several more rounds from his AK-47 at Kuga, who took 5 hits. Two rounds struck his ear, one his toe and one his cheek, exiting again at the neck. The fifth caught him in the chest, exited at the shoulder, broke his left leg and left fragments around his spine.
The Australian special forces fought their way forward but could not get to the other side of the creek. When the handler saw his four-legged comrade lying wounded on the ground, he called him in. Kuga crawled slowly to the water and swam back across to rejoin the team. His handler gave first aid immediately and Kuga was flown out by MedEvac. He died 11 months later from the long-term effects of his wounds. Because his early reconnaissance and his fight with the insurgents had saved his team, he was posthumously awarded the Dickin Medal.
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