The dogs of Op Pitting: One year on

A year on from Op Pitting – the British Military operation to evacuate British nationals and eligible Afghans from Kabul – members of 1 Military Working Dog Regiment, human and canine, have reunited to reflect and celebrate the achievements of the emergency deployment.

1 Military Working Dog (MWD) Regiment deployed eight teams and one veterinary officer as part of an Air Manoeuvre Battle Group from 16 Air Assault Brigade in August 2021.

On the ground, the unit found itself engaged in crowd control as thousands attempted to leave the Afghan capital at Hamid Karsai International Airport.

• How Sandhurst group chat saved lives of Afghan couple fleeing Kabul 
• 'I won't go back': Afghan interpreters stuck in third countries 
• Op Pitting: RAF personnel receive honours for service

MWDs and their handlers also patrolled the airport perimeter and deployed specialist arms explosives search teams to search a large volume of baggage.

Twelve months on, Private Sean Kennedy, 27, accompanied by his MWD, Luther, a four-year-old Belgian Malinois, spoke to Forces News about the deployment and his pride of the operation's achievements.