Army pays tribute to combat dog Phantom

An Army dog, Phantom, who sacrificed his life during an anti-terror operation in the Akhnoor sector of Jammu on October 28, was honoured with a wreath-laying ceremony on Wednesday in Udhampur.

An official spokesperson of the Army said, “A solemn wreath-laying ceremony was organised on Wednesday at Udhampur to pay homage to Phantom, who made the supreme sacrifice in the dense jungles of Battal, Akhnoor, on 28 October. His sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

“His loyalty, dedication, and unwavering spirit will forever inspire us,” the spokesperson said.

Phantom, a Belgian Malinois sniffer dog from the Indian Army, was killed with a gunshot by ultras while pursuing terrorists. Born in May 2020, Phantom was inducted into this area in August 2022, and since then, he had been a vital part of multiple high-stakes missions. In this operation, Phantom succumbed to injuries while aiding troops in a critical phase of the pursuit.

Phantom was able to detect the hiding terrorists inside bushes in the area who might have ambushed a search party of soldiers. However, sensing danger, it ran towards the ultras alerting the troops but could not save himself.

Three terrorists were killed in the operation which continued till Tuesday morning. Arms and ammunition were seized from the slain ultras.