U.S. Special Operations commandos have killed the Islamic State commander in charge of oil and gas fields and captured his wife during a rare raid in eastern Syria.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced the raid Saturday, identifying the militant as Abu Sayyaf. Carter called it a “another significant blow" to ISIS.
Abu Sayyaf headed #IS Economy & Oil ministry; Knew all of IS funds, including oil & gas. Key leader within Caliphate according to jihadis— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) May 16, 2015
The Pentagon statement also said that commandos freed "a young Yazidi woman who appears to have been held as a slave" by Abu Sayyaf and his wife, who was identified as Umm Sayyaf.
The statement said that the wife was believed to be a member of the Islamic State and was believed to have played "an important role" in ISIS terrorist activities. The U.S. says she's being held in military detention in Iraq.
No U.S. forces were killed or injured during the firefight, according to Carter.
See the full White House statement on the U.S. operation that killed senior ISIS leader #AbuSayyaf in eastern Syria pic.twitter.com/K21LqFiN92— Mashable (@mashable) May 16, 2015
Bernadette Meehan, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, told Mashable that U.S. personnel were questioning the wife about Islamic State operations. "We are also working to determine any information she may have regarding hostages – including American citizens who were held by ISIL,” she said.
A Defense Department official told the Washington Post that the raid was conducted by the Army’s Delta Force troops, who traveled in Black Hawk helicopters and Osprey aircraft. The official said a firefight broke out after they touched down near a building where Abu Sayyaf was believed to be.
The official told the Post that U.S. soldiers were fighting hand-to-hand with militants, and that about a dozen militants were killed.
Plan was to capture Abu Sayyaf. But killed when he engaged US troops. Fighting so intense, some hand to hand combat, says US official #ISIS— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) May 16, 2015
The White House said the U.S. did not inform Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government in advance of the raid, or coordinate with Damascus.
According to Al Jazeera reporter Omar al-Saleh, two U.S. helicopters had taken part in the operation at an oil field east of the city of Deir Ezzor.
"Activists from the area say at least six people from ISIL were killed, including at least two of Arab nationalities; a Saudi and an Iraqi," Saleh said.
US Forces flew into #Syria on Blackhawks & Ospreys and by the time operation was over many of aircraft were riddled with bullet holes. #ISIS— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) May 16, 2015
The Washington Post quoted a Pentagon official as saying Abu Sayyaf was “fairly high up” in the ISIS hierarchy but not among the four most senior militants tracked by the United States.
Also on Saturday, Syrian state media earlier reported that government forces killed at least 40 IS fighters, including a senior commander in charge of oil fields, in an attack Saturday on the country's largest oil field -- held by the Islamic State.
It identified the commander as Abu al-Teem al-Saudi. It is unclear whether the Syria state media report is connected in any way to the U.S. raid that killed Abu Sayyaf.
The Britain-based Syria Observatory for Human Rights confirmed an oil field attack, saying at least 19 IS members, including 12 foreigners, were killed. The group did not say who carried out the attack.
#ISIS has yet to release a message about the death of Abu Sayyaf and the capture of his wife.— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) May 16, 2015
Additional reporting by Mashable's Brian Ries and The Associated Press.