A military working dog that was wounded while tracking down the head of the
Islamic State is back on duty.
President
Donald Trump tweeted a photo of a Belgian Malinois that he said worked with a team of special forces in the capture of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a tunnel beneath a compound in north-eastern Syria.
The name and other details about the dog remain a secret.
“We have declassified a picture of the wonderful dog (name not declassified) that did such a GREAT JOB in capturing and killing the Leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi!,” the president tweeted.
Gen Mark Milley, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, told reporters earlier on Monday that the animal “performed a tremendous service” in the Saturday night raid.
Al-Baghdadi set off an
explosion that killed himself and three children and apparently wounded the dog.Gen Milley said the dog was “slightly wounded” but is now recovering and has returned to duty at an undisclosed location.
He said the US is protecting the dog’s identify by keeping any information about the canine classified for now.
The US military commonly uses the Belgian Malinois to guide and protect troops, search out enemy forces and look for explosives.
The dog, whatever its name, lit up social media: If this dog’s name isn’t Zero Bark Thirty I shall be very disappointed. https://t.co/zD8QQQGv2F— Alistair Coleman (@alistaircoleman) October 28, 2019DOG UPDATE: The dog who aided the
ISIS raid has an invitation to the
White House “whenever he can get over here,” per senior official. The president wants to meet him.— Katie Rogers (@katierogers) October 28, 2019It would appear the Secret Very Good Boy involved in the Baghdadi raid is actually a Secret Very Good Girl. https://t.co/TTKZGbCgsR— Dan Lamothe (@DanLamothe) October 28, 2019how many scenes away are we from "there's nothing in the Constitution that says a DOG can't serve in the House of Representatives"— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) October 28, 2019Multiple Defense Department sources have told me the dog’s name is Conan. https://t.co/efDmAsCbXb— James LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) October 28, 2019Related... Was Trump's Al-Baghdadi Raid Situation Room Picture Staged?
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