Trump honors dog who cornered Islamic State leader for National K-9 Veterans Day

President Trump offered a thank you to the dogs who serve in the US Military on Friday, March 13th – also known as National K-9 Veterans Day.

As part of the holiday, Trump gave special honors to Conan, the military Belgian Malinois K-9 who cornered Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the Islamic State leader who was killed in October. 

“Just recently our Nation witnessed the power and might of these remarkable K-9s. Conan, a military working dog from 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, played a key role in eliminating Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi — the world’s number one terrorist leader. Conan chased the terrorist into a dead-end tunnel where, trapped, he met his rightful demise.” Trump said. 

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

 “Many of our bravest and most adept military personnel were involved in the raid that brought this evil ISIS leader to justice, and Conan bravely worked by their side,” he continued. “Thanks to Conan, no American personnel were lost in the operation, further demonstrating the vital role K-9s play in safeguarding our national security.”

Conan was injured by exposed electrical wires during the raid to kill Baghdadi but was able to recover quickly. He returned to active duty after a brief White House visit and has completed more than 50 missions during his time as a military K-9.

“He is the ultimate fighter,” said president Trump. 

The K-9 Corps was founded in 1942 and has trained more than 30,000 dogs to serve in the military as message carriers, guard-dogs, and bomb-detectors. At present, there are approximately 2,500 active-duty K-9s working in the US military.