Military Working Dog Injured in the Baghdadi Raid Returns to Service

FacebookXPinterestEmailEmailEmailShare
People look at a destroyed houses near the village of Barisha, in Idlib province, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, after an operation by the U.S. military which targeted Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the shadowy leader of the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
People look at a destroyed houses near the village of Barisha, in Idlib province, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, after an operation by the U.S. military which targeted Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the shadowy leader of the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A military working dog is doing well and has been returned to service after being injured in Saturday's raid that led to the death of ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, U.S. officials said on Monday.

The dog, whose name is classified, had chased Baghdadi into a tunnel when the terrorist detonated a suicide vest, killing three children whom he was using as human shields, officials have said.

"Our K-9, as they call -- I call it a dog, a beautiful dog, a talented dog -- was injured and brought back," President Donald Trump said on Sunday. "But we had no soldier injured."

Once special operators were on the ground in northwest Syria, the raid lasted about two hours, after which military aircraft destroyed Baghdadi's compound, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said during Sunday's episode of ABC News' "This Week."

It was not immediately known what breed the military working dog that took part in Saturday's raid is.

Cairo, the dog that accompanied Navy SEALs when they killed Osama bin Laden in 2011, was a Belgian Malinois. President Barack Obama met Cairo after the raid, but the dog was required to wear a muzzle as the president petted him.

More articles from Task & Purpose:

11 of the best bits from the book James Mattis doesn’t want you to read

Chaos at the Pentagon as strategy changes with every Trump tweet

7 rules for how military leaders should use social media

Story Continues