Baghdad to kill stray dogs after fatal attacks

In August alone, 13 people died of disease after being attacked by dogs, said Inaam Hamid, head of the environment board on the Baghdad provincial council.

Under Saddam Hussein, authorities killed stray dogs in the capital almost every year, but the practice ended with his ouster in 2003. Since then, the number of strays in Baghdad has grown to more than a thousand.

"We have decided to take action after receiving complaints of rising attacks on people by packs of dogs, and reports that some children are refusing to go to school because they’re afraid of being bitten," said Hamid.

Three teams made up of a shooter from the Interior Ministry, two military veterans and a police escort will use poisoned meat and rifles to kill the dogs.

The U.S. military has been informed of the plans.

Baghdad’s provincial council said in a statement that the operation aims "to eradicate the diseases transmitted from dogs to human beings ... after the spread of the stray dog phenomenon."