The United States military left behind dozens of service dogs in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan as it raced against time to meet the August 31 deadline for a complete withdrawal from the South Asian Islamic nation.

Major animal welfare groups have strongly condemned the US military for abandoning these contracted service dogs as they exited from the war-ravaged nation.

‘Veteran Sheepdogs of America’, a non-profit organisation, is now working to evacuate these poor animals from Afghanistan along with other groups.

US military left behind dozens of service dogs in Afghanistan.

“These brave dogs do the same dangerous, lifesaving work as our military working dogs, and deserved a far better fate than the one to which they have been condemned,” Robin R Ganzert, animal welfare group American Humane’s president and CEO, said.

“It sickens us to sit idly by and watch these brave dogs who valiantly served our country be put to death or worse,” he said.

However, the United States has denied the accusations of abandoning military service dogs in Kabul during the last withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby tweeted, "To correct erroneous reports, the US military did not leave any dogs in cages at Hamid Karzai International Airport, including the reported military working dogs. The photos circulating online were of animals under the care of the Kabul Small Animal Rescue, not dogs under our care".

According to the Defense Department spokesperson, US personnel took various measures to help the Kabul Small Animal Rescue despite several attacks the country witnessed.

Earlier this month, three Indian service dogs – Maya, Ruby and Bobby – that were deployed at the Indian Embassy in Kabul, along with 99 Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel, were repatriated by the Indian Air Force during the evacuation process.

The United States completed the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan on Monday, ending 20 years of war that culminated in the Taliban`s return to power.

Image source: Twitter