This Is the Military Working Dog That Helped Take Out the Leader of ISIS

Photo of the military working dog involved in the raid that killed ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. (Via Twitter)

Military.com | By Gina Harkins

Published October 28, 2019

It appears a female Belgian Malinois was responsible for chasing a brutal terrorist down a dead-end tunnel, trapping him as U.S. special operators closed in.

President Donald Trump released an image of the only American hero injured in the secret mission to take out Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the head of the ISIS. The military working dog, whose name remains classified, has since returned to service, officials said on Monday.

"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, along with the dog's image.

The dog is credited with chasing Baghdadi into a tunnel during a two-hour-long nighttime raid on a compound with a series of tunnels, where the terrorist was hiding. Once the dog chased him into the closed tunnel, Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and three children officials said he used as human shields.

Milley said on Monday the dog had only been slightly wounded and was fully recovering. The dog, which he said performed a "tremendous duty," was still in theater and had returned to duty with its handler.

"We're not going to release just yet photos or names or dogs or anything just yet," Milley added a few hours before Trump's tweet. "... We're protecting the dog's identity."

Belgian Malinois is the same breed of dog used in the 2011 raid to take out Osama bin Laden, the terror leader behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. That dog, named Cairo, helped secure the perimeter and sniff out bombs around the house where a Navy SEAL team killed bin Laden.

Cairo wore a vest with a day and nighttime radio along with a two-way radio, so the dog could hear its handler -- even through concrete walls.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.

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Related Topics: Military Headlines Military Dogs Heroism Military Heroes Special Operations Terrorism ISIS Conflict Islamic State of Iraq and Syria - ISIS

Gina Harkins

Gina Harkins previously covered the Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard for Military.com. She has covered troops and their families for nearly a decade, reporting from the U.S., Central and South America, and at sea. Before joining Military.com, Gina was a longtime reporter and managing editor for the independent Marine Corps Times. Her story on two recruits trapped at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina was runner up for the 2013 Military Reporters and Editors award for domestic military coverage. She holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and studied political science and international relations in her undergrad at Northeastern Illinois University. Read Full Bio

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