Exploding donkey

There have been documented incidents of donkeys being used to deliver bombs in Middle Eastern conflicts in the 2000s .

West Bank

A donkey exploded near a checkpoint in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on January 26, 2003. In response, PETA president Ingrid Newkirk, after receiving many complaints, wrote a letter to Yasser Arafat asking him to encourage others to "leave the animals out of this conflict". In the letter, she cited historical examples of US, UK, and Al Qaeda-sponsored abuses of other animals in conflicts, specifically noting dogs were simply left in Vietnam by the US during the Vietnam War, despite the fact that they were "loyal." She thus came to the conclusion that:

"Animals claim no nation. They are in perpetual involuntary servitude to all humankind, and although they pose no threat and own no weapons, human beings always win in the undeclared war against them. For animals, there is no Geneva Convention and no peace treaty—just our mercy."

Iraq

In Ramadi, Iraq, in 2004 a donkey was loaded with explosives and set off towards a United States-run checkpoint. It exploded before it was able to injure anybody.

See also

• Exploding animal

References

• CBS news: Israel Moves Deep Into Gaza January 26, 2003.
• PETA Leave the Animals in Peace: PETA's letter to Yasser Arafat February 3, 2003.
• The Standard (originally from The Los Angeles Times): Dogs of war can be friend or foe August 12, 2005.