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"Conan is a tough cookie," Trump said, noting that the dog had been injured during the raid in a rebel-held area of northern Syria, near the Turkish border. "Conan was very badly hurt. He recovered actually very quickly and has since gone on very important raids."
There was some confusion over the sex of the dog. Trump had referred to Conan as male, but White House sources later said that Conan was in fact female. Later, another White House source explained that Conan was indeed male as initially reported.
The surprise visit from the dog happened alongside a more serious meeting behind the scenes between the president and the soldiers who carried out the raid to kill al-Baghdadi. The soldiers' identities and faces are confidential, and the dog acted as a symbolic placeholder.
"The dog is incredible. So brilliant, so smart," Trump said, announcing he awarded the canine a medal and a plaque. "Conan did a fantastic job... And we are very honoured to have Conan here."
The president denied rumours that Conan, a Belgian Malinois, would be retired, saying the animal has several more good years of service left.
He called Conan "the ultimate fighter."
Trump is notable for not having any pets in the White House, breaking from a long-standing tradition of his predecessors, who have kept dogs, cats, horses, birds and many other animals at the residence.
Thomas Jefferson briefly had a pair of grizzly bear cubs.
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