Melania reveals what happened when watching US forces kill ISIS leader

Melania Trump revealed that it was her husband Donald Trump who invited her to the White House Situation Room to watch the October 2019 raid to kill ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdad. 

‘I was caught off guard when I received a call informing me that the president wanted to see me in the Oval Office,’ she writes in forth-coming memoir Melania, a copy of which was obtained by the Daily Beast. ‘I was directed to join him in the Situation Room – a first and unique experience for me. Watch this incredible action at work,’ Donald whispered to me,’ she writes.

It’s unusual for a first lady to be in the Situation Room of the White House, a room in the basement that is heavily guarded and contains the nation’s top secrets. Originally established in 1961, it’s where leaders gather for classified meetings and it has the technology to show military operations from around the world live on its TV screens.

The first lady does not have a security clearance but the president can give one to whomever he chooses. ‘The mission to eliminate the leader of ISIS was a significant objective, and the successful completion of this operation would be a major accomplishment,’ Melania writes. ‘This pivotal moment was one that Donald wanted to share with me.’

At the time, al-Baghdadi (pictured) was the world’s most wanted terrorist . And it was Melania who suggested Trump highlight the role Conan, the hero military dog, played in the action, Trump’s Defense Secretary Christopher Miller in his memoir. Miller was the first to reveal Melania was present during the raid, noting she was horrified when someone asked what would happen if al-Baghdadi detonated his [self-murder] vest. ‘His head will pop off like a champagne cork,’ an aide said to the first lady’s shock.

Conan, a Belgian Malinois, helped military special forces track down al-Baghdadi through a tunnel during the raid in Syria. The dog was hurt in the action but, when he recovered, he came to the White House to be honored in the Rose Garden. ‘We were honored to welcome him to the White House to present him with a medal for his exceptional courage,’ the former first lady writes in Melania, which is published on Tuesday.

The October 2019 raid to take out al-Baghdadi was named Operation Kayla Mueller (pictured) after the 26-year-old humanitarian worker from Arizona who died in Syria in 2015. It’s suspected that al-Baghdadi ordered Mueller’s death. The ISIS leader reportedly held her hostage and named her his ‘ISIS bride.’ Kayla Mueller was abducted a day after crossing into Syria on Aug. 4, 2013. She had lived in Turkey for the previous eight months doing humanitarian work. She had crossed into Syria with a friend to head to a Doctors Without Borders compound.

Kayla’s parents, Marsha and Carl Mueller were heavily critical of Barack Obama for not doing enough to rescue their daughter. Obama had authorized a raid but commandos found Kayla and the other hostages had been moved. The Muellers endorsed Donald Trump for president and were at his 2020 State of the Union address as Melania’s guests. President Trump honored them and Kayla in his remarks. Melania greeted them at the event. After the raid was a success and al-Baghdadi was killed, then-President Trump asked how he should announce it.

It was Melania who suggested he personally make a public statement, Miller writes in his book ‘Soldier Secretary.’ ‘You should talk about the dog,’ she said. ‘Everyone loves dogs.’ Trump did so. ‘Our ‘K-9,’ as they call it,’ Trump said of Conan in his remarks. ‘I call it a dog. A beautiful dog — a talented dog — was injured and brought back.’ Additionally, in his announcement of al-Baghdadi’s death, Trump compared the ISIS leader to a dog, a slur when applied in the way he used: ‘He died like a dog. He died like a coward. The world is now a much safer place.’

Trump later hosted Conan the hero dog in the Rose Garden of the White House where the dog was given an award for his service. ‘Conan did a fantastic job and we’re very honored to have Conan here and to have given Conan a certificate and an award,’ Trump said at that ceremony. The raid was led by Green Berets and U.S Army Rangers. U.S. helicopters entered Syrian airspace, where they could be detected by Syrian and Russian radar. Ultimately al-Baghdadi detonated a [self-murder] vest while holding two of his own children, killing them. Two of his wives were also killed. He had fled into a tunnel network under the compound, wearing a [self-murder] vest and chased by U.S. military dogs. The American soldiers dug through the debris to find his remains, which were identified by DNA.

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