| 2015 U.S. special forces raid in Syria | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theAmerican-led interventionagainst ISIL in theSyrian Civil War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United StatesSupported by:  United Kingdom (surveillance) |  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Barack Obama | Abu Sayyaf †Umm Sayyaf (POW) | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1st SFOD-D Special Air Service UH-60 Black Hawk andV-22 Osprey aircraft | Military of ISIL | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | 31+ fighters killed
| ||||||
On 15 May 2015,1st SFOD-D operators from theJoint Special Operations Command based inIraq conducted an operation in Al-Amr, Syria to capture a seniorIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) leader namedAbu Sayyaf, resulting in his death when he engagedUnited States forces in combat, after his location was confirmed by surveillance from British SAS operators.[1][2] Abu Sayyaf's role in ISIL was managing its gas and oil operations; he had built up a network of traders and wholesalers of ISIL-controlled oil that he helped triple energy revenues for the terror group. His other duties for the group included approving expenses to cover the upkeep of slaves, rebuilding oil facilities damaged by airstrikes and counting of revenue.[3] The wife of Abu Sayyaf,Umm Sayyaf was captured and is currently held by U.S. Forces in Iraq. The operation also led to the freeing of aYazidi woman who was held as a slave. About a dozen ISIL fighters were also killed in the raid, two US officials said.[4] TheSyrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that an additional 19 ISIL fighters were killed in the US airstrikes that accompanied the raid. One official said that ISIL Forces fired at the U.S. aircraft, and there was reportedly hand-to-hand combat during the raid.Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters andBell Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft were used to conduct the raid.
Intelligence discovered in the raid revealed how ISIL was funding itself through the group's construction of a multinational oil operation with help from terrorist-group executives determined to maximize profits. The intelligence also showed how the organization deals with the Syrian government, handles corruption allegations among top officials and most critically, how international coalition strikes have dented but not destroyed ISIS income. Defense SecretaryAsh Carter called the raid a "significant blow" against Islamic State and heralded the death of the terror group's No. 2 oil executive.[3]CNN reported that the US got valuable information on the leader of ISIS,Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, from the wife after two days of interrogation.[5]
The raid was also a test for a new strategy of "targeted killing" for theExpeditionary Targeting Force.[6]
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