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Akeel, the brave Tunisian special forces dog killed in gun siege
The body of a police dog killed at the Tunisian museum attack on Wednesday was given a standing ovation as its body was carried from the scene. Akeel, a special forces service dog, was killed during the cross fire between the security forces and the militant gunmen during the hostage siege. Footage released online showed a crowd of onlookers clapping special forces as they left the National Bardo Museum having brought the attack to an end. People can then be heard clapping and shouting “Bravo” for K9 Akeel as his bloodied body was removed on a stretcher. The terrorist attack on the museum left 17 tourists, a museum security officer, a cleaner, and a police officer dead, as well as the two gunmen.
The killed tourists were from South Africa, France, Poland and Italy. Several other people were reported wounded in the attack, including three Poles and at least two Italians. The Italian Foreign Ministry said 100 other Italians had been taken to a secure location, the Associated Press reported. Some of the Italians at the museum were believed to have been passengers aboard the Costa Fascinosa, a cruise liner making a seven-day trip of the western Mediterranean that had docked in Tunis. Ship owner, Costa Crociere confirmed that some of its 3,161 passengers were visiting the capital Wednesday and that a Bardo tour was on the itinerary, but said it was unable confirm how many, if any, passengers were in the museum at the time. The cruise ship recalled all the passengers to the ship and was in touch with local authorities and the Italian Foreign Ministry. The attack was the deadliest on civilians in more than a decade.
