Washington: The "hero" dog that assisted the American commandoes in the mission that led to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr-al Baghdadi will soon visit the White House, US President Donald Trump has said.
Addressing a rally in Louisiana on Wednesday, Trump said the canine, Conan, was the "greatest hero". "He's coming to the White House very soon," he told the cheering crowd.
Conan was injured during the raid at the hideout of Baghdadi in northwestern Syria last month. He has now returned to service. "I said, 'bring him now,' they said, 'He's on a mission.' I said, 'You gotta be kidding. Come on, give him couple of days rest, please,'" Trump told the rally.
Soon after the raid, both Trump and the Pentagon released the pictures of the dog.
The dog is a four-year veteran of the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Canine Programme and has been a member of approximately 50 combat missions, US Central Command Commander General Kenneth McKenzie has said. "He was injured by exposed live electrical cables in the tunnel after Baghdadi detonated his vast beneath the compound," he said.
McKenzie said US special operations command military working dogs are critical members of the American forces. These animals protect US forces, save civilian lives, separate combatants from noncombatants, and immobilise individuals who express hostile intent, he said.
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