The Israel Dog Unit (IDU) recently took part in an advanced IAF escape and evasion exercise, which took place in Israel's north over four arduous days.
The exercise was intended to test soldiers' capability to navigate undetected through hostile territory and avoid enemy troops, dogs, and air assets. Israel Police officers and the IDF's specialist units for tracking, pursuit, and locating missing persons were included in the exercise as well.
With the successful completion of the exercise, volunteers from the IDU's Northern, Central, and Samaria regions gathered at Kibbutz Usha for a festive ceremony in honor of Passover, along with the IDU's general director and Northern regional director and the senior staff of the Israel Police's Zebulun precinct, winner of the Israel Police's outstanding service award for 2021.
The Zebulun precinct alone handles approximately one thousand missing person cases each year. The IDU regulatory finds itself on the front lines of such cases, both in Zebulun and in other precincts throughout Israel.
Zebulun precinct commander Nir Yonah added: "The self-sacrifice of these volunteers cannot be taken for granted, especially given the degree of professionalism with which the IDU operates. I wish everyone a happy and peaceful Passover."
IDU director Yekutiel Ben-Yaakov commented: "We are pleased to expand our cooperative efforts with other forces and organizations which are part of the ongoing national campaign to thwart terrorists and locate missing persons - the IDU's two main fields of expertise. My blessing to the police and our volunteers in honor of Passover is that every day their enthusiasm for saving lives will increase."