Military dog wounded in the US raid on ISIS leader's compound
Military dog wounded in the US raid on ISIS leader's compoundThe White House/Handout via Reuters

US President Donald Trump on Monday declassified a photo of a dog who was part of the US operation that resulted in the death of Islamic State (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi over the weekend.

The dog suffered unspecified injuries while chasing Baghdadi down a dead-end tunnel.

“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!” tweeted Trump.

The dog is believed to have been sent down the tunnel after it was feared that Baghdadi was wearing a suicide vest, according to CNN. Baghdadi was indeed wearing a suicide vest which he detonated in the tunnel, killing himself and three children.

The dog is part of the Army Delta force. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley declined to name the dog on Monday, saying at a Pentagon news conference that "the military working dog performed a tremendous service, as they all do in a variety of situations."

He described the dog as "slightly wounded and fully recovering, but the dog is still in theater, returned to duty with its handler."

CNN noted that this isn't the first time American armed forces have relied on a dog for backup in operations targeting terrorists. In 2011, a dog named Cairo took part in the raid that led to Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's death. Cairo secured the area around the bin Laden compound while Navy SEALs went in.