DOG ASSISTED IN THE KILLING OF ABU BAKR AL-BAGHDADI

Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi was found and killed in a suicide bomb attempt.

On Oct. 26, President Trump enforced a raid in Barisha, Idlib Governorate, Syria with the objective of capturing or killing the head of ISIS, Al-Baghdadi. Believe it or not, a dog was the one able to locate Al-Baghdadi’s hiding spot, leading up to his death. This dog is being claimed as a national hero.

In case you are unfamiliar with the raid, here’s how it panned out.

After a long search of his whereabouts, Al-Baghdadi was finally located at the border of Syria, in a military base near Erbil, Iraq. The U.S. Delta force entered the base through the walls with the use of explosions. In the midst of the raid, military dogs were sent out to find Al-Baghdadi’s precise location. Eventually, the K-9 unit was able to track Al-Baghdadi down and chase him through a tunnel were he was cornered. This led him to detonate a suicide bomb around his belt, causing the death of himself and a few people in close proximity, which included three children. Baghdadi’s corpse had been disposed of and buried at sea. No images of his death were released. Only a couple of American soldiers were injured, however, the SOHR, announced that Delta Force had killed one child, two women, and 6 high ranked ISIL leaders.

Following the raid, a press conference featuring the Defense Secretary, Dr. Mark T. Esper, and the chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, U.S. Army General Mark A. Miley, took place at the pentagon to recognize the huge achievement on combating terrorism. One of the dogs in the K-9 unit in particular was brought to the limelight. She is an American female Belgian Malinois, named “Conan” who was responsible for finding Al-Baghdadi’s exact location. On October 28, President Trump released this statement on Twitter along with a photo of the dog:

“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!”

At the time of his tweet, Conan’s name was held secret for security purposes, her name wasn’t released until recently. Conan was wounded during the raid, but after being treated, she seems ready to be back on duty. President Trump stated that Conan is a very intelligent and talented dog. She is named after the famous talk show host and comedian, Conan O’Brien.

This isn’t the first time a dog was commemorated for its military service. In 2011, a dog, named Cario, was able to catch Osama bin Laden. During World War I, a dog named Stubby was able to save his unit from mustard gas, which awarded him with a Sergeant status, making him the only dog with a rank.

Many countries around the world came out to congratulate the U.S., however, despite the death of Al-Baghdadi, the fight against ISIS and terrorism is still not over.