The hunt for the world's most wanted man ended with the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was hunted down by United States special forces. Alongside the brave US troops were Special Air Service (SAS) commandos.

The US-led mission had been tracking al-Baghdadi before the special forces descended upon al-Baghdadi's hideout in northwest Syria. Troops descended in the area from two helicopters while a third helicopter hovered over the area.

The SAS commandos joined the US troops on the ground. The involvement of the SAS team had been kept a secret until after the mission. The Ministry of Defence has not commented on SAS involvement in the raid.

Islamic State group chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Syrians sifting through the rubble at the site of a US-led operation against Islamic State group chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on the edge of the small Syrian village of Barisha in Idlib province Photo: AFP / Omar HAJ KADOUR Omar Haj Kadour/AFP

However, a source told the Mirror that the United Kingdom and the US have an "exchange deal." In accordance with the agreement, a small, well trained SAS team worked with US troops to ensure the raid's success.

During the raid, al-Baghdadi is believed to have been chased by a military dog as he retreated into his hideout where he detonated an explosive vest. After the explosion, the US-SAS team raided the area. Once the troops left the area, a US AC 130 gunship as well as the Reaper drone, bombarded the hideout to flatten the facilities.

DNA and biometric tests have proven that those killed by the explosive vest were al-Baghdadi, his wives, and three of his young children. The remains of the terror group leader have been buried at sea after the identity confirmation.

The only casualty faced by the special forces has been the injury caused to a military working dog. Alongside the soldiers, trained military dogs were deployed for the raid. The Daily Star reported that one of the canine unit dogs was injured while chasing al-Baghdadi.

We have declassified a picture of the wonderful dog (name not declassified) that did such a GREAT JOB in capturing and killing the Leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi! pic.twitter.com/PDMx9nZWvw

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 28, 2019

The dog reportedly chased al-Baghdadi into his hideout and was injured in the explosion. The US military confirmed that the dog required surgery after the mission. US President Donald Trump tweeted a picture of the service dog. It is unsure if the hero dog will continue serving as a military dog after his recovery.

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