Page 4 - AT

A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 1 November 2019
Trump wants to honor dog from Syria mission at White House

By AAMER MADHANI and surge or continue to op-
LOLITA BALDOR erate," said Seth Jones, a
Associated Press former adviser to the com-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Don- mander of U.S. Special Op-
ald Trump is the first presi- erations Forces in Afghani-
dent since William McKinley stan. "That has not been
not to have a dog live in the the case."
White House. But next week The killing of Osama bin
he wants to honor one by Laden, the capture of 9/11
bringing Conan, a military mastermind Khalid Sheikh
working dog injured in the Mohammed, the drone
successful operation tar- strike that killed Yemeni-
geting Islamic State leader American terrorist Anwar
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, to al-Awlaki and the fatal at-
Washington. tack on al-Qaida in Iraq
It remains unclear if the leader Abu Musab al-Zar-
president will eventually qawi were all moments of
meet some of the several much publicized triumph
dozen troops who took for previous presidents.
part in the risky operation Trump has latched onto the
in northwest Syria that end- al-Baghdadi mission as he
ed with al-Baghdadi killing tries to bolster his standing
himself by detonating an with American voters while
explosives-laden vest as facing an impeachment in-
American forces closed in A working military dog is displayed on a monitor as U.S. Central Command Commander Marine quiry. Trump also has faced
Gen. Kenneth McKenzie speaks at a joint press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Wednes-
on him. day, Oct. 30, 2019, on the Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi raid. criticism from Republicans
But he wants to meet the Associated Press as well as Democrats over
dog, tweeting Thursday his decision in October to
that Conan "will be leav- elite Delta Force, members and no visit is in the works, be allowed, according to cut U.S. troop presence in
ing the Middle East for the of the 75th Ranger Regi- according to defense of- Defense Department offi- Syria.
White House sometime ment and air crew from the ficials. cials who discussed internal In announcing al-Baghda-
next week!" Army's 160th Special Oper- If Trump wants to see the deliberations only on the di's death, Trump spoke in
White House officials did ations Aviation Regiment — dog or other members of condition of anonymity. great detail about how U.S.
not respond to a request for would be accompanying the assault team, Penta- The preference would be troops carried out the mis-
comment on whether any the Belgian Malinois. gon leaders would recom- for any meeting to happen sion. He's credited himself
of the troops who took part No formal request for mend that the meeting in- in a secure location, not at for pressing commanders
in the al-Baghdadi raid — Conan to go to the White volve just a small number of the White House, they said. to focus on his capture.
commandos in the Army's House has yet been sent people and that no media The dog, which suffered On Wednesday, his cam-
minor injuries when it was paign aired an updated
exposed to electric wires as version of a campaign ad
he chased al-Baghdadi, is during Game 7 of the World
still deployed and working Series that touts Trump for
in the Middle East. "obliterating ISIS." The ad
Bringing the clandestine also includes an image of
special operations forces al-Baghdadi and an official
to the White House would White House photograph
be a stark departure from of Trump and his national
the way similar events have security advisers monitoring
been handled. U.S. senior the mission in the Situation
leaders, including presi- Room.
dents and defense chiefs, He also posted an altered
have typically traveled to photo of himself draping
see the troops in secure lo- a medal on a dog resem-
cations to ensure their iden- bling Conan.
tities are not compromised. Trump is hardly alone in
Trump, while continuing to celebrating a successful
revel in last weekend's op- mission to kill a major terror
eration in northwest Syria, leader.
confronts the balance be- In 2011, days after Navy
tween celebrating a ma- SEALs carried out a har-
jor national security vic- rowing operation to kill bin
tory without overstating the Laden, President Barack
significance of the killing Obama traveled to Fort
in what will remain a high- Campbell, Kentucky, to
ly volatile region for U.S. meet with some of the
troops. SEALs that took part in
"There's been a strong ten- the mission behind closed
dency for administrations doors. Obama on that trip
to mistakenly suggest that also met with one of the
a decapitation ... is going working dogs, Cairo, who
to fundamentally degrade took part in the bin Laden
their groups' ability to re- raid.q