The statement said that Abu Sayyaf, described as having a senior role in overseeing gas and oil operations that have been a key source of revenue for the militant group, had been killed when he “engaged U.S. forces” and resisted capture.
His wife, who was said to be an Islamic State member, was captured during the operation, and a young woman who appeared to be held as a slave of the couple was freed. The young woman was a member of the Yazidi sect in Iraq, the White House statement said.
“We intend to reunite her with her family as soon as feasible,” said National Security Council spokesman Bernadette Meehan.
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said in a separate statement that no U.S. forces were killed or injured during the operation.
It was the first “direct action” ground raid by U.S. forces inside Syria, a U.S. Defense official said. The first raid was an unsuccessful attempt to rescue American hostages early last year.
The nighttime raid was carried out by a team of the Army’s Delta Force troops, who traveled in Black Hawk helicopters and Osprey aircraft, the official said. The soldiers came under fire as soon as they landed near a multi-story building in the town of al-Amr, southeast of the Deir al Zour, the largest city in eastern Syria, located at the edge of oil fields that the Islamic State has tapped to generate income with black market fuel sales.
The building, which officials said had been under surveillance for weeks, had been identified as Abu Sayyaf’s residence and was the target of an operation that U.S. officials said was intended to capture him in hopes of learning more about Islamic State operations.
But a firefight broke out almost immediately, the Defense official said. The U.S. soldiers used “precise fire” to separate militants from women and children they were trying to use as shields, the official said. “It was close quarters combat,” the official said. “It was intense.”
About a dozen militants were said to have been killed, including Abu Sayyaf, according to the Defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide close-held details of the operation.
No civilians were reported injured, he said. As the troops left the scene, militant fire ripped holes in the aircraft. They returned to their base in Iraq around dawn, local time.
The troops recovered laptops, cell phones, files and also a number of archeological artifacts and historic items, including an Assyrian Bible and antique coins, the official said.
The official described Abu Sayyaf, a Tunisian, as “fairly high up” in the ISIS hierarchy but not among the four most senior militants tracked by the United States. In addition to directing oil and gas operations in Syria, the White House statement said he was also “involved with the group’s military operations.”
The attempt to capture Abu Sayyaf was made not only because of the positions he held, but also to obtain possible information about Americans who have been held hostage by the militant group. A senior administration official said that the administration had assessed it likely that he was in direct contact with Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Although there are no public reports of Americans currently being held by the Islamic state in Syria, the senior official said that “We are aware of reports that other U.S. citizens have gone missing in Syria, but due to privacy concerns, we have no further comment.”
Other officials said that the intelligence community and FBI continue to gather information and evidence in connection with the previous kidnapping and beheading of U.S. citizens such as former journalist James Foley.
The senior official said that the detainee — an Iraqi national identified only as Umm Sayyaf, his wife — was being debriefed “to obtain intelligence about ISIL operations. We are also working to determine any information she may have regarding hostages — including American citizens who were held by ISIL.” ISIL is another term for the Islamic State.
The White House statement said U.S. forces were working “to determine an ultimate disposition” for Umm Sayyaf. It said she was currently being held in “U.S. military detention in Iraq,” where the Defense official said she was being “debriefed.” The official described her as an active participant in her husband’s activities, and a “player” in the Islamic State.
The operation was launched from Iraq, where the White House said it had the “full consent of Iraqi authorities.”
“The President authorized this operation upon the unanimous recommendation of his national security team, and as soon as we had developed sufficient intelligence and were confident the mission could be carried out successfully and consistent with the requirements for undertaking such operations,” the statement said.
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By Karen DeYoung and Missy Ryan– http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-kills-islamic-state-leader-in-syria-raid/2015/05/16/31280b26-fbca-11e4-a13c-193b1241d51a_story.html?wpisrc=nl_wemost&wpmm=1