President Trump on Monday shared a photo of the dog injured in the U.S. military operation in Syria that resulted in the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi over the weekend.
Trump tweeted a photo of the “wonderful” dog that he said had been declassified, praising the animal for its performance during the military operation. Trump said the name of the dog is classified and could not be released.
{mosads}“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!” Trump tweeted.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley told reporters at the Pentagon earlier Monday that the military would not release photos of the dog or its name because it is still “in theater.” He said the dog is slightly wounded but expected to make a full recovery.
“We’re protecting the dog’s identity,” Milley told reporters.
Trump on Sunday announced that a U.S. raid in northwest Syria had ended with U.S. military dogs chasing al-Baghdadi to the end of a tunnel, where he detonated a suicide vest. Trump described the raid in detail, repeatedly noting that U.S. forces had not been hurt though he said a dog had been injured in the operation.
“We thought, for three days, this is what was going to happen. It was actually — look, nobody was even hurt,” Trump said during remarks at the White House on Sunday. “Our K-9, as they call — I call it a dog, a beautiful dog, a talented dog — was injured and brought back. But we had no soldier injured.”
Earlier Monday, Trump, who said he watched much of the operation from the White House Situation Room, told reporters he is considering releasing partial video of the raid.