Conan the 'hero' dog awarded at White House for service in Syria

United States military dog, Conan, was recognised for his bravery in the field. Conan was the only special forces member who was injured during the mission to locate and kill ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. Conan, accompanied by his handler, received a medal and a plaque for his service.

As the US Delta Force and the United Kingdom Special Air Service (SAS) teams descended into Syria's Idlib province, Conan was part of the kill mission. The special team suspected that the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) would retreat into his hiding place. As Baghdadi fled into his hideout, the task force unleashed Conan to chase down the fleeing terror group leader.

Chased and cornered by Conan, Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest killing himself and two of his children. It was later revealed that the courageous dog had also been injured during the pursuit. The blast exposed electrical wiring which Conan came in contact with.

Conan was retrieved and treated for his injuries.

After the success of the operation, US President Donald Trump had posted a picture of Conan on twitter. Even though Conan's name had not been declassified along with the picture, sources revealed the identity of the heroic dog.

In the ceremony, the dog who ferociously chased down a terror group leader was seen happily receiving head scratches. Vice President Mike Pence was seen scratching the Belgian Malinois' head. When Pence stopped scratching Conan, he looked longingly at Pence wanting more attention from him.

Sky News reported that Conan was supposed to wear a muzzle during the ceremony. However, it was later decided that the muzzle would put Conan in his attack mode.

The decision not to put a muzzle on the dog during the ceremony at the White House's Rose Garden seemed to not go down well the First Lady. Melania Trump was seen standing at a respectable distance from the dog of the hour.

While his wife looked disinterested and slightly terrified of Conan, Trump called him a "tough cookie." Trump proclaimed Conan as the "world's most famous dog." He also joked that the journalists had nothing to worry about since Conan was in a good mood during the ceremony. Conan just looked happy to be there receiving head scratches.