Trump tweets "declassified" photo of heroic dog wounded in al-Baghdadi raid
Washington — President Trump tweeted a "declassified" photo of the military dog that was wounded in the raid that led to the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Sunday, saying the canine did a "GREAT JOB in capturing and killing the Leader of ISIS."
A senior White House official told CBS News the administration is "working on" arrangements for the dog to visit the White House, but said it might be difficult since the canine is "back at work" in the field.
When announcing al-Baghdadi's death on Sunday, Mr. Trump hailed the "beautiful" and "talented" dog for its heroism, noting that no U.S. service members were hurt or killed in the operation.
"They blasted their way in, and then all hell broke loose. It's incredible nobody was killed. Or hurt. We had nobody even hurt," Mr. Trump said. "And that's why the dog was so great."
The dog, a Belgian Malinois, was sent into a tunnel to subdue al-Baghdadi during the early-morning raid on a compound in Syria. Al-Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and three children and wounding the dog.
Earlier in the day, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said the name of the dog — who appears to be a very good boy or girl — remained classified.
"We're not releasing the name of the dog right now. The dog is still in theater. The dog, the canine, the military working dog, performed a tremendous service, as they all do in a variety of situations. Slightly wounded and fully recovering. But the dog is still in theater, returned to duty with its handlers," Milley said. "We're protecting the dog's identity."
Belgian Malinois are known for their work ethic and intelligence and widely used by the military and law enforcement. A Malinois named Cairo famously accompanied U.S. commandos on the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
Fin Gomez contributed reporting.
