Conan called a hero at White House
Army dog wounded in ISIS raid ‘a tough cookie’
WASHINGTON – Conan, the courageous military dog wounded in action, got a hero’s welcome at the White House on Monday.
Just a month after the pooch was wounded in the U.S special operations raid that killed the leader of the Islamic State, President Donald Trump feted the Belgian Malinois as “an extraordinary dog” during a canine meet-thepress event in the White House Rose Garden.
“This is the ultimate fighter,” Trump said.
And the big reveal? Conan is a girl, the White House confirmed, even though Trump used male pronouns when referring to the pooch during the Rose Garden event.
The dog, escorted by a handler and showing no visible signs of her injuries, calmly nuzzled Vice President Mike Pence as cameras clicked and Trump praised her role in what Trump called “a flawless attack.”
“Conan did a fantastic job,” Trump said. “Conan is a tough cookie. Nobody is going to mess with Conan.”
Turning to the press, he joked: “You’re lucky he’s not in a bad mood today.”
Conan accompanied the team of U.S. commandos that entered Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's compound in northern Syria in October. The dog was wounded when al-Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest after being chased into a dead-end tunnel, killing himself and three of his children.
Conan's name had been kept a secret until Trump appeared to disclose the information on Twitter earlier this month. Earlier, Trump shared an altered photograph that depicted him bestowing a medal on the dog.
At the White House, Trump bestowed a real medal on Conan and presented her with a plaque during a meeting with other special forces members involved in the October raid.
“I actually think Conan knew exactly what was going on,” Trump said.
There had been concerns that Conan might not recover from her wounds. But Conan not only recuperated, Trump said, she has since gone on other raids.
“Conan is really a hero,” Pence said.