Hero dog Conan to get White House welcome after Baghdadi raid

Military canine that chased Isis leader into tunnel before he killed himself with suicide vest rose to fame after Trump tweeted its photo

The Belgian Malinois was injured by the electric cables exposed in the detonation but is expected to make a full recovery

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An undated image of Conan, the military dog who sustained minor injuries during the Baghdadi raid. Photo: US Department of Defence via AFP

Published: 6:15am, 1 Nov 2019Updated: 6:15am, 1 Nov 2019

They say every dog has its day – and so it will be for this consummate paw-fessional who has been invited to the White House in recognition of its heroic role in taking out jihadist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Conan, a veteran of numerous combat missions, proved its bark was as frightening as its bite as it took point in the weekend US commando raid that led to the death of the Islamic State group’s leader in Syria.

The Belgian Malinois’ identity was a closely-guarded secret until it was declassified by US President Donald Trump, who retweeted a picture of the tongue-wagging pooch after the raid at Baghdadi’s lair in northern Syria.

The president even confirmed Conan’s name in a tweet in the small hours of Thursday, as he revealed the canine would be leaving the Middle East for Washington, “sometime next week”.

Conan chased Baghdadi into a dead-end tunnel in his Syrian hideout, where the cornered Isis leader detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and two children, according to the US account.