Afghan Dog Fights Enrage Taliban, Not US
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide bombing at an outdoor dog fighting competition killed 80 people and wounded scores on Sunday, an Afghan governor said. It appeared to be the deadliest terror attack in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
Unlike in the U.S., where star Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison for his role in a dogfighting operation, dog fights are a popular form of entertainment in Afghanistan.
German shepherds, bully kuttas and Afghan mastiffs do not fight until death but rather until one dog pins another or one of the fighters runs away. The dogs have clipped ears and tails and carry the scars of battle.
The events can attract hundreds of spectators who cram into a tight circle around the spectacle. The sport was banned under Taliban rule.
from the AP
Let me get this straight. We lock Michael Vick up in the Federal Penitentiary in Leavenworth for organizing dog fights, and then we send thousand of troops to die in Afghanistan defending the right of our Afgan allies to organize dog fights.
What’s wrong with this picture?
February 20th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
This story is so ironic.
If it was banned under Taliban rule surely someone had to legalize it at some point.
April 30th, 2008 at 7:39 am
The problem “with the picure” is you are an idiot. You probably are a critic of everything the US does and now have a problem with dog fights. Get a life loser.
November 30th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
They claim that the dogs don’t fight to the death, but that’s not exactly true. The dogs are often severely and even mortally wounded in the fights, and they don’t receive the medical help it would require to recover from their injuries. Whether they die in the ring, or in the cage, they will all eventually die for the sake of their master’s wallet.
It makes me feel sick to think of my own dogs being hurt in any way, but at the same time many of the breeds that we love and adore would not exist today if it wasn’t for bloodthirsty fights and baiting arenas.
My very much adored bulldog ( http://www.bulldogabbie.com ) wouldn’t exist if her ancestors hadn’t been bred to bait bulls for the butchers of England. Thankfully baiting and dog fights have been banned in many places now, as the very thought of her being bloodied for sport makes me sick to my stomach.
We can’t always control what happens in other countries, but at least we can try to make a difference in the country we live in.
April 7th, 2009 at 7:07 am
It is a terrible, terrible thing that dogs are treated in this way by these people and that our governments, who have the opportunity to stop it, do nothing. Why invade a country and then allow such cruelty to take place?
This is incredibly dissapointing and upsetting.