September 2018
In September 2018, Peshmerga K9 Team Leader Karzan Khalid Grawy visited Washington D.C. to be honored by MLI, who presented him and his Explosive Detection Dog (EDD) Scout with the 2017 EDD Team of the Year Award, for their outstanding work in detecting bombs, IEDs, and mines left behind in Iraqi Kurdistan by ISIS. The Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) Representation in Washington D.C. hosted an award ceremony and reception, which included a mine detection demonstration by MLI's Canine Ambassador, Yankee.
Karzan and EDD Scout, generously sponsored by General Dynamics, have been working with the Peshmerga in Iraqi Kurdistan since the fall of 2016. Together, they have located dozens of dangerous explosives hidden in the ground and searched more than 3,000 cars and homes that were littered with IEDs, endangering the lives of soldiers and civilians alike. Thanks to their bravery and hard work, countless lives have been saved and thousands more can now live without the fear of explosives.
Karzan is presented with the EDD Team of the Year Award; from left to right: The Honorable Anthony Lake, KRG Representative to the U.S. Mrs. Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Karzan Grawy, MLI President and CEO Perry Baltimore, and LTG (Ret.) Roger Schultz.
Karzan paid a visit to the MLI office in Arlington during his short visit! (photo: Karzan, left, with Perry Baltimore, right)
Karzan giving a mine detection demonstration with MDD Yankee