Trump tweets pic of military dog hurt in Baghdadi raid

Answering the call to duty, a wounded hero dog was one of the few casualties from the US special forces raid on the Syria compound of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. But don't ask the dog's name, because the military won't say - at least for now.

The dog was described as slightly wounded after leaping into the fray on Saturday. President Donald Trump praised the dog in his remarks on Sunday describing the battle that took place at Baghdadi's compound.

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President Donald Trump shared a photograph on Monday of the “wonderful” dog who participated in the raid against Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State leader, but said the dog’s name remained classified.

The dog "went into the tunnel" where Baghdadi killed himself with a suicide vest, Trump said. "Our canine, as they call -- I call it a dog, a beautiful dog, a talented dog -- was injured and brought back," he said.

The president tweeted out the photograph after US Army General Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had given an update on the dog, whose role in the raid was first disclosed by Trump on Sunday.

"We're not releasing the name of the dog right now. The dog is still in theater," Milley said, using the term for military operations. "The dog, the canine, the military working dog, performed a tremendous service, as they all do, in a variety of situations."

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Milley expressed doubt that photos of the dog would be released any time soon.

"Slightly wounded and fully recovering - but the dog is still in theater, returned to duty, with its handler. So, we're not going to release just yet photos or names of dogs or anything else. It's a classified unit and (we're) protecting the dog's identity," he said.