A picture of the "wonderful dog" that played a crucial role in the capture and death of Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was released in a tweet by Donald Trump, although the US president said the dog's name would remain classified.
Following his address at a conference of US police chiefs in Chicago, Mr Trump tweeted a portrait photo of the Belgian Malinois, which he says did a "great job in capturing and killing" the Isis leader. Baghdadi killed himself and three children after detonating a vest bomb in an underground tunnel at a compound in Syria on Saturday after being cornered by US special forces.
In a Sunday address, Mr Trump said that Baghdadi had "died like a dog" and a "coward" while "whimpering and crying", though the president wasn't presented with any audio or video of his death.
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! pic.twitter.com/PDMx9nZWvw
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
October 28, 2019
In a White House press conference, General Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said the president spoke with military members on the ground after the operation but he doesn't know where Mr Trump's account came from.
"I don't know what the source was," he said.
Mr Trump called the Belgian Malinois - which was injured in the operation embedded with the Army Delta force - "a beautiful dog, a talented dog".
"We had nobody even hurt and that's why the dog was so great," Mr Trump said.
General Milley said the dog was recovering from its injuries and was returned to its military unit after performing "a tremendous service". He also refused to give the name of the dog, saying the information was classified.
A Belgian Malinois named Cairo assisted in the raid and killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011.
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