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By Chelsea J. Carter for The Associated Press
BAGHDAD – The U.S. military is rushing delivery of dozens of bomb-detection dogs to Iraq after accusations that widely used mechanical devices are ineffective to pinpoint explosives at checkpoints and other sites.
The first shipment of 25 dogs is expected today. Another 120 bomb-sniffing dogs are scheduled to arrive in Iraq over the next 12 months, said Army Maj. Sylvester Wegwu, a senior military adviser at the Baghdad Police College.
“We have more requests than we have dogs and handlers,” said police Brig. Gen. Mohammad Mesheb Hajea, who is in charge of Iraq’s K-9 training program.
Pressure has risen on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to address security lapses after suspected Sunni militants carried out a series of major bombings in Baghdad, killing hundreds since August.
The worries over security are strong enough to overcome reluctance among Iraqi forces to use canines because of Islamic religious taboos that consider dogs unclean. While U.S. troops and foreign private security firms often used sniffing dogs, Iraqis relied on them far less – both because troops didn’t like using them and Iraqis didn’t like being searched by them.
“Our culture is different from the European culture and the American culture,” said Hajea, who also runs a veterinary clinic in Baghdad.
Iraqi authorities instead requested scanners capable of peering inside sealed portions of vehicles. But there were reports that device used – a wandlike, handheld mechanism known as ADE-651 – was flawed.
Last month, British authorities banned its export to Iraq and Afghanistan after a BBC report raised questions about its ability to detect explosives.
U.S. commanders have been urging Iraqi forces to abandon the ADE-651, telling security officials they did not work following major bombings against government sites in August, October and December, according to a U.S. military officer with knowledge of the discussions.
Use of bomb-hunting dogs has become more pronounced in some areas of Baghdad in recent weeks, appearing to coincide with news that the detection devices were faulty.
The order for the dogs was put in last year, but the U.S. stepped up delivery of the first group at the Iraqi government’s request.
Because of the sensitivities, the job of dog handler is volunteer only, and dogs will be used to search cars, buildings and other areas – not people, unless they are suspected of being a bomber, Hajea said.
Iraqi policeman Saadun Mazier, who works with a Belgian Malinois named Gina, does not believe the police dogs will change some Muslim feelings about canines. But he does believe many will come to understand their usefulness.
