Belgian Malinois receives highest medal for dog bravery

  • 18/11/2017

A British Special Forces dog has been awarded the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross for sniffing out explosives and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

Mali, an eight-year-old Belgian Malinois, received the award for courage for his part in a 2012 assault on an enemy stronghold.

He is credited with helping save the lives of dozens of British soldiers by indicating the presences of explosives and later enemy soldiers during the operation.

Mali later sustained injuries to his head, chest and leg due to a grenade explosion and carried on with the mission.

He recovered fully from his injuries and now helps train other dogs and handlers for work in the armed forces.

He was awarded the Dickin Medal for his bravery during the attack.

"Mali has displayed a truly awesome ability and determination to seek out explosives and insurgents during a key operation," said Jan McLaughlin, director of the PDSA, a UK-based vet charity.

"To achieve this while exposed to close combat and such intense enemy attack makes him an incredibly worthy recipient of the PDSA Dickin Medal."

ITV News