Dog that helped kill Al Baghdadi honoured by Trump
Washington, Nov 26: US President Donald Trump has honoured Conan, the specially trained "hero dog" who helped American commandos in the mission that led to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr-al Baghdadi.
Baghdadi, 48, died in October after the world's most wanted terrorist was chased by the US special forces along with military working dogs. He blew up his suicide vest following the US raid on his compound in Syria's Idlib province.
The dog, who was injured during the mission that killed Baghdadi, visited the White House on Monday and met President Trump in his Oval Office.
It later appeared before the White House press corps in the Rose Garden along with Trump, the First Lady Melania and Vice President Mike Pence.
Introducing the Belgian Malinois as "probably the world's most famous dog , Trump said he had given Conan a plaque and called the canine commando so brilliant, so smart .
Conan was hailed by Trump as a "special" animal who helped execute a "flawless attack" on the ISIS leader.
Trump also met with Special Forces involved in the attack in Northern Syria that resulted in the death of Baghdadi. The commandos did not come out in the public.
"Al Baghdadi is gone, but it was a flawless attack," Trump told reporters.
Trump said he met with the soldiers and had given Conan an award.
He said: "The dog is incredible .
He said both the soldiers and Conan did a fantastic job .
In his remarks, Trump repeatedly praised Conan's performance and described his breed as the ultimate at fighting and drug sniffing.
He did not directly answer a question about whether he would adopt Conan, but he said that the dog would not be retiring and had more time to serve.
According to a White House official, Conan was not accompanied by his normal handler for this appearance since the handler participated in the Baghdadi raid and cannot appear publicly.
Conan appeared to be very calm and composed, during his Rose Garden appearance.
The Canine, a four-year veteran of the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Canine Programme, has been a member of approximately 50 combat missions.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 25, 2019
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Annamalai's remarks about Mumbai misconstrued for political gains, says BJP MLA
Mumbai (PTI): BJP MLA R Tamil Selvan on Monday defended party leader K Annamalai's remarks about Mumbai, saying his statements, aimed at highlighting the city's global importance, had been deliberately misconstrued for political gains.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) last week demanded that Annamalai be arrested for his remark that "Bombay is not a Maharashtra city".
While campaigning for the January 15 civic body elections last week, former IPS officer and ex-Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai had said, "People want a triple engine government. This is the only metro city in the country where a triple engine is possible. Modi is in Delhi, Fadnavis is the chief minister, and now Mumbai will have a BJP mayor. Mumbai is not a Maharashtra city but an international city."
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Talking to reporters, Selvan, who represents the Sion Koliwada assembly constituency, said, "Our leader Annamalai described Mumbai as a city respected across the world. What he wanted to say was that Mumbai is becoming the world's number one city, mainly because of the blessings of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Be it the Metro project, road construction or the provision of services, Mumbai has emerged as an important city on the global front. Annamalai was talking in this context."
The BJP leader's words were being distorted for political gains, he said.
"How can anyone separate Mumbai from Maharashtra? Not even a prime minister will be able to do it. Annamalai did not say those words out of disrespect. He was only saying that Mumbai has a global identity," he said.
Responding to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray's "Rasmalai" jibe at Annamalai, Selvan said, "Raj Thackeray is a senior leader, and many respect him. I still respect him, but he should respect others as well. I am also from Tamil Nadu, but I have won the assembly elections thrice with the support of around 90,000 Marathi voters. They did not see my background."
The BJP gives tickets to people who serve the society, he said.
Selvan claimed that he had worked extensively in Maharashtra, even in rural areas, and invoked icons such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Lokmanya Tilak in his speeches.
In a dig at his critics, the BJP MLA said, "Now people have seen who uses foul language against our chief minister, who works for the people's welfare. We oppose such use of foul language. CM Fadnavis will take appropriate action against such people."
