Sniffer dog that went missing in action after Afghan battle is discovered safe and sound after 14 MONTHS lost in the desert

A sniffer dog that went missing in action after a battle in Afghanistan has been found safe and well after more than a year in the desert. Sabi the black Labrador was with a joint Australian-Afghan army patrol when it was ambushed by Taliban militants in September 2008.

Nine soldiers were wounded in the ensuing gun battle, which earned one Australian SAS trooper the country's highest bravery award.But there was no sign of the bomb-sniffing dog after the battle in a remote area of Uruzgan province. Sabi's handlers spent months scouring the desert looking for the four-year-old animal, but to no avail.

Hero's welcome: Sabi is greeted by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and US commander General Stanley McChrystal

Read more: UK Mail Foreign Service