Raipur, Jan 16: A CRPF dog accompanying troops during an anti-Naxal patrol in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh has been seriously injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast, officials said on Thursday.

The three-year-old Endro, a male Belgian Shepherd tracker dog, suffered a fracture in a right leg in the blast that took place around 1:30 pm on Wednesday near the Chhinagelur village in the district.

The canine is safe. He saved the lives of the troops of the 'Alpha' company of the 229th battalion who were undertaking a patrol in the area as part of an anti-Naxal operation, the officials said.

He is being provided medical care at a facility in nearby Bijapur district, they said. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and other security forces extensively use dogs, trained for sniffing IEDs and booby traps, for operations in the Left Wing Extremism-affected regions of various states.

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