Baghdadi death: The 'wonderful' canine who chased the leader of Islamic State

Chasing the notorious leader of a jihadist group down a tunnel is not exactly for the faint-hearted.

But that's exactly what a military dog did in the US raid against Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi - arguably one of the world's most wanted men - who died in the raid.

President Trump has released a photo of the canine on Twitter - but we don't have a name.

That's remaining a secret because, living up to its hero reputation, the dog is back at work and in the field, serving the US military, which means its identity has to be protected.

But here's what we do know about what appears to be either a very good boy or girl.

Donald Trump's a fan

The dog has been described as "beautiful" and "talented" by President Trump.

It was sent into a tunnel after al-Baghdadi during an early morning raid in Syria.

The president praised the dog for its heroism and said no armed forces were hurt when he announced the death of the IS leader on Sunday.

"They blasted their way in, and then all hell broke loose. It's incredible nobody was killed. Or hurt. We had nobody even hurt," he said.

"And that's why the dog was so great."

It was hurt in the raid

The dog was injured after the IS leader detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and three children.

President Trump said al-Baghdadi ran into a dead-end tunnel, "whimpering and crying and screaming", while being chased by military dogs.

General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (a group that advises the President on defence matters) says the Malinois was "slightly wounded and fully recovering", but that the dog "performed a tremendous service."

It's a brave breed

The dog is a Belgian Malinois - and according to the American Kennel Club - they are strong, intelligent and can learn and perform different commands - which is useful for being in combat situations.

They are widely used by the military and police around the world to guide and protect troops, search for enemy forces and explosives because of their work ethic and intelligence.

To add to the heroic adventures of Belgian Malinois, this isn't the first time a dog like this has joined the US military on a top secret mission.

A dog named Cairo famously helped US forces on the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011.

Twitter tributes

Trump's tweet declassifying - which is declaring it to no longer be secret - the picture of the dog caused an online reaction.

Twitter was quick to pay tribute about the declassifying of the picture, in its own way.

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