President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and first lady Melania Trump, present Conan, the military working dog injured in the successful operation targeting IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in the Rose Garden, Nov. 25, 2019, in Washington.
WHITE HOUSE - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday welcomed to the White House, Conan, the military dog wounded in an October raid that resulted in the death of Islamic State terror group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria.
In an impromptu ceremony in the White House Rose Garden, Trump praised Conan as "the world's most famous dog." He praised Conan's performance and described his breed, the Belgian Malinois, as the "ultimate" at fighting and drug sniffing.
"It's trained that if you open your mouth, you will be attacked," the president joked to the press. "You want to be very, very careful."
Trump said that he met with U.S. special forces at the White House and he will give Conan a certificate and an award for his service. He was joined at the event by first lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
Pence said that in the planning of the raid, he and other top officials were informed that if Baghdadi was wearing an explosive vest, special forces dogs could go in.
"And this dog was there, suffered some injury, and we were able to complete the raid without any American casualty," Pence added.
Trump did not directly respond to questioning of whether he would adopt Conan.
"Conan is not retiring yet," Trump said, adding that age-wise, "Conan is prime time."