A conservative website produced the image, replacing the retired army medic who actually received the honor with the dog’s head

This article is more than 10 months old

This article is more than 10 months old

Donald Trump has tweeted a fake image of himself awarding a medal of honor to the military dog involved in the raid that killed the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and apparently declassified the dog’s name.

The image, apparently produced by the Daily Wire, a conservative site, is an altered version of an actual photograph of Trump awarding the medal of honor in 2017 to James McCloughan, a retired army medic who was honored for saving the lives of 10 people during the Vietnam war, the New York Times reported.

The medal of honor is the most prestigious military decoration awarded to US service members for extraordinary acts of valor.

Doubts over Donald Trump's dramatic account of Baghdadi raid Read more

In the image tweeted by the US president, McCloughan’s head has been replaced with the head of the dog, named in media reports as “Conan”, with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) AMERICAN HERO! pic.twitter.com/XCCa2sGfsZ

When Trump first tweeted the dog’s photo Tuesday, he said the pooch’s image was declassified, but its name wasn’t. But early on Thursday morning, he appeared to confirm the dog’s name was Conan, without saying if it remained classified. He also said the dog would leave the Middle East for the White House next week.

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Thank you Daily Wire. Very cute recreation, but the “live” version of Conan will be leaving the Middle East for the White House sometime next week! https://t.co/Z1UfhxsSpT

McCloughan laughed when a Times reporter showed him the two images. Military dogs “are very courageous”, he said.

It wasn’t the dog’s first brush with fame. On Tuesday, Trump tweeted another photo of the “wonderful” animal, who was injured during the raid on Baghdadi’s Syrian compound.

The defense secretary, Mark Esper, has said the dog “performed a tremendous service, as they all do”.

The Pentagon provided further information about the military animal on Wednesday, saying that the animal was hurt after being exposed to live electrical cables but has returned to active duty.

Gen Frank McKenzie, who leads US Central Command, told reporters the dog was injured when it came in contact with the cables as it pursued Baghdadi in a tunnel underneath the compound in north-western Syria.

The Pentagon has not released the dog’s name. McKenzie said the dog has worked with special operations forces for four years and taken part in about 50 missions. He said working dogs like this one are “critical members of our forces”.

Agencies contributed reporting