While much about the daring raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan remains secret, one detail that has slipped out is the commando team included a bomb-sniffing dog.

The heroic canine was strapped to a member of the SEAL team as he lowered himself and the dog to the ground from a hovering helicopter near the compound, according to The Sun.

Heavily armoured hounds — equipped with infrared night-sight cameras — have been used in the past by the top-secret unit. The war dogs wear ballistic body armour that is said to withstand damage from single and double-edged knives, as well as protective gear which shields them from shrapnel and gunfire.

GlobalAnimal.org speculates that the breed of dog in this mission was most likely a German Shepherd.

More likely, the dog on the bin Laden operation would have been a smaller German Shepherd with a highly specific mission. Some dogs are trained to silently locate booby traps and concealed enemies such as snipers. The dog’s keen senses of smell and hearing would make him or her far more effective at detecting these dangers than humans. The best scout dogs are described as having a disposition between docile tracking dogs and aggressive attack dogs.

For more information on American war dogs, click here. The dogs are available for adoption after their term of service is over.

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