Army’s Phantom falls to enemy bullet, but after getting 1 militant eliminated

Phantom, a male Belgian Malinois, was killed this afternoon during the Army search operation in Akhnoor, when ultras opened fire on him.

The assault dog joins Kent, Axel and Zoom in canine heaven today — all four animals, trained by Army units to sniff out armed terrorists, have fallen to terrorists’ bullets in the last two years.

The Army, keenly aware that Phantom’s death was unusual, said in a statement, “We salute the supreme sacrifice of our true hero — a valiant Indian Army dog, Phantom. As our troops were closing in on the trapped terrorists, Phantom drew enemy fire, sustaining fatal injuries. His courage, loyalty and dedication will never be forgotten.”

This is how it all unfolded, Army sources told The Tribune. Soon after the terrorists in the Akhnoor sector fired upon an Army ambulance, the soldiers decided to use Phantom to help locate the terrorists. Phantom was unleashed by his handler into the forest area, dense with green foliage. His handler knew Phantom could go where humans would not dare.

Phantom didn’t let his handler down. Soon after he reached close to the terrorists, they opened fire on him from their AK series assault weapon. He was just over four years old.

Born on May 25, 2020, Phantom was part of a canine unit in the Army which is specially trained for sniffing out IEDs and other explosives placed on the roadside or deep in forest areas. During search operations, even drones become useless sometimes because the foliage is so dense. That’s when trained dogs like Phantom are used, to detect the location of those hiding.

Phantom paid with his life and also helped the soldiers kill one terrorist. This is not the first time an Army dog has been killed during an encounter with terrorists.

In September last year, an Army dog named Kent was killed while shielding her handler from gunfire by ultras in the Budhal area of Rajouri district. Kent was a female Labrador from the 21 Army Dog Unit.

In July 2022, an Army dog named Axel was shot dead by a terrorist in Baramulla district during an encounter. While in October 2022, a dog named Zoom suffered gunshots during an anti-terror operation in Anantnag district of Kashmir. The dog died while undergoing treatment at an Army hospital.