Delta Force Kills ISIS Moneyman Abu Sayyaf

Posted by | May 16, 2015 09:40 | Filed under: Top Stories War & Peace

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We got another one.

Details emerged Saturday morning: Delta Force has carried out a raid inside Syria and killed Abu Sayyaf, a top ISIS leader who has managed their oil and gas operations, and captured his wife, who is thought to have not merely operational knowledge of ISIS but a hands-on role in managing the organization. Military sources tell NBC:

Twelve enemy fighters were killed in the operation, while no American forces were hurt, U.S. officials said.

National Journal reports:

The raid, authorized by President Obama, was carried out Friday night in al-Amr by U.S. forces stationed in Iraq. Iraqi authorities were aware of the operation, the White House said.

Abu Sayyaf, a senior leader in the terrorist organization, was killed “when he engaged U.S. forces,” according to the statement. His wife, Umm Sayyaf, was captured and is being held in U.S. detention in Iraq.

The White House said U.S. forces freed a young Yezidi woman, who officials believe was held as a slave by the couple, and said it intends to reunite her with her family “as soon as feasible.”

No U.S. troops were killed or injured during the raid.

CNN’s Barbara Starr adds some illuminating background:

[T]he fact that the United States clearly had him under close watch was ready to put its forces at risk by going deep into Syria to carry out the raid suggests they saw the target as very valuable.

CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen said the decision to send in U.S. Special Operations forces into Syria was unusual but not unprecedented.

“Taking out the guy who runs effectively the most important financing stream is obviously significant, but what’s really significant is the computer records and all the materials that he would have with him as the head of this financing arm, if indeed that is the case that he is really that important,” said Bergen.

The potential to seize valuable intelligence material and documents may have been what led the U.S. government to opt for a high-risk ground operation rather than a bombing mission, he said.

Such targeted operations push ISIS to be more careful about how they organize themselves and run their operations, he said. “They are going to be looking over their shoulder.”

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter issued the following statement:

Last night, at the direction of the Commander in Chief, I ordered U.S. Special Operations Forces to conduct an operation in al-Amr in eastern Syria to capture an ISIL senior leader known as Abu Sayyaf and his wife Umm Sayyaf. Abu Sayyaf was involved in ISIL’s military operations and helped direct the terrorist organization’s illicit oil, gas, and financial operations as well.

Abu Sayyaf was killed during the course of the operation when he engaged U.S. forces.

U.S. forces captured Umm Sayyaf, who we suspect is a member of ISIL, played an important role in ISIL’s terrorist activities, and may have been complicit in what appears to have been the enslavement of a young Yezidi woman rescued last night.

No U.S. forces were killed or injured during this operation.

The operation represents another significant blow to ISIL, and it is a reminder that the United States will never waver in denying safe haven to terrorists who threaten our citizens, and those of our friends and allies.

I thank the extraordinary men and women in uniform who executed this complex and challenging mission, along with all those who supported it. Their professionalism, dedication, and valor are a deep source of pride and inspiration to us all.

NSC spokesperson Bernadette Meehan released this statement:

Last night, at the President’s direction, U.S. personnel based out of Iraq conducted an operation in al-Amr in eastern Syria to capture an ISIL senior leader known as Abu Sayyaf and his wife Umm Sayyaf.  During the course of the operation, Abu Sayyaf was killed when he engaged U.S. forces.

Umm Sayyaf was captured and is currently in U.S. military detention in Iraq.  The operation also led to the freeing of a young Yezidi woman who appears to have been held as a slave by the couple.  We intend to reunite her with her family as soon as feasible.

No U.S. personnel were killed or injured during this operation.

Abu Sayyaf was a senior ISIL leader who, among other things, had a senior role in overseeing ISIL’s illicit oil and gas operations – a key source of revenue that enables the terrorist organization to carry out their brutal tactics and oppress thousands of innocent civilians.  He was also involved with the group’s military operations.  We suspect that Umm Sayyaf is a member of ISIL, played an important role in ISIL’s terrorist activities, and may have been complicit in the enslavement of the young woman rescued last night.

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.  This operation was conducted with the full consent of Iraqi authorities and, like our existing airstrikes against ISIL in Syria, consistent with domestic and international law.

We are working to determine an ultimate disposition for the detainee that best supports the national security of the United States and of our allies and partners, consistent with domestic and international law.  We will follow our usual practice with respect to giving the ICRC notification and access to the detainee.

As Commander-in-Chief, the President is grateful to the brave U.S. personnel who carried out this complex mission as well as the Iraqi authorities for their support of the operation and for the use of their facilities, which contributed to its success.  The United States will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our Iraqi partners in our effort to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL.

The Guardian‘s Spencer Ackerman notes the capture of Sayyaf’s wife:

a rarity for the Obama administration, whose reluctance to add to the complexities of US wartime detentions has often led it to kill battlefield targets instead of capturing them.

Ackerman also reports on what may be next for Sayyaf’s wife:

Although the raid was described to reporters as a capture mission, Meehan indicated that the US was unsure what it would do now it has Umm Sayyaf in custody.

“We are working to determine an ultimate disposition for the detainee that best supports the national security of the United States and of our allies and partners, consistent with domestic and international law. We will follow our usual practice with respect to giving the ICRC notification and access to the detainee,” Meehan said, referring to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

A Pentagon spokesman said she did not know if Umm Sayyaf was being interrogated or would soon be.

Colonel Steve Warren, the interim top Pentagon spokesman, said the Guantánamo Bay detention center that Obama has vowed to close would not be where Umm Sayyaf ends up.

“No one’s going to Gitmo,” Warren told the Guardian.

ZeroHedge’s Tyler Duden adds this tantalizing detail drawn from Middle Eastern news coverage:

Syrian state TV reported that Syrian 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 IS. It identified the commander as Abu al-Teem al-Saudi. The name indicates he was a Saudi citizen.

Even more curious, the U.S. did not provide the full name of the militant identified as Abu Sayyaf. There was no information immediately available on jihadist websites. In fact all the US has said is that Sayyaf was a “senior ISIL leader who, among other things, had a senior role in overseeing ISIL’s illicit oil and gas operations — a key source of revenue that enables the terrorist organization to carry out their brutal tactics and oppress thousands of innocent civilians.”

As CNN further adds, “Abu Sayyaf is not a name familiar to many ISIS watchers.”

There are a number of facts that distinguish this raid from others that special forces have carried out:

  • MSNBC’s Col. (Ret.) Jack Jacobs pointed out that it is very unusual  for the US to admit to carrying out operations in Syria.
  • CNN noted that intelligence sources were able to pinpoint and surveil the Sayyafs’ home, a residential building in Deir Ezzor
  • Multiple sources report that Delta Force seized computers.
  • MSNBC is reporting that their military and intelligence sources have tied both Sayyafs to human trafficking.

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Copyright 2015 Liberaland
By: dave-dr-gonzo

David Hirsch, a.k.a. Dave "Doctor" Gonzo*, is a renegade record producer, video producer, writer, reformed corporate shill, and still-registered lobbyist for non-one-percenter performing artists and musicians. He lives in a heavily fortified compound in one of Manhattan's less trendy neighborhoods.

* Hirsch is the third person to use the pseudonym, a not-so-veiled tribute to journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson, with the permission of his predecessors Gene Gaudette of American Politics Journal (currently webmaster and chief bottlewasher at Liberaland) and Stephen Meese at Smashmouth Politics.

51 responses to Delta Force Kills ISIS Moneyman Abu Sayyaf

  1. William May 16th, 2015 at 09:51

    The raid, authorized by President Obama…..
    I wonder how the people over at the fair and balanced network are going to spin this into their tired old “Obama soft on terrorists” shtick?

    • arc99 May 16th, 2015 at 10:20

      FOX needs time to get interviews on tape of the right wing partisans who will accuse the President of taking too much credit for the success of the mission. Look for those on Hannity by Monday.

      The GOP Presidential candidates will mutter some boilerplate niceties about people who carried out the mission, and by mid-day on Wednesday, will resume the script their handlers told them to read to their low-information voters, claiming the President is not doing enough to fight ISIS.

      Such is life where all information comes from the right wing bullsh*t machine.

      • dave-dr-gonzo May 16th, 2015 at 10:28

        They will declare the raid a “miserable failure” and an “embarrassing blow to an inept administration that hates our troops and kowtows to Islamic extremism” because we failed to capture Abu Sayyaf.

        • StoneyCurtisll May 16th, 2015 at 16:51

          We all know Obama is a Muslim usurper..:).

          • Hirightnow May 16th, 2015 at 20:14

            Praise Allah for our savior Obama!
            :P

      • William May 16th, 2015 at 11:12

        Just another success do to the continuations of the Bush policies.

      • Hirightnow May 16th, 2015 at 20:12

        Oh, no!
        They’ve reported it already…along with the inevitable “Obummer’s lying”,”He killed two, Bush killed hundreds!”, and “It’s all false flag” responses from their loyal cadre in the comment section.
        I’d link, but every time I try, AVG gives me a pop-up window that says “Bullsh!t detected”.

      • burqa May 16th, 2015 at 20:21

        Good points.

        Um, speaking of Hannity, has he kept his word and been waterboarded yet?

    • tpartynitwit May 16th, 2015 at 18:32

      Let’s count the personal pronouns he uses!

  2. anothertoothpick May 16th, 2015 at 10:13

    This cannot be true. It was not reported on Fox…or ….brietbart.

    • StoneyCurtisll May 16th, 2015 at 16:51

      You can bet it it had failed or a bunch of Americans had died they would be reporting it.

    • tpartynitwit May 16th, 2015 at 18:31

      Have you checked TruthForDolts or The Daily Klanner? Deadbart may be behind.

  3. NW10 May 16th, 2015 at 10:22

    http://www.quickmeme.com/img/af/af8ca3757c0c43e4ef2ea7af572964240259a928f9ff763dbf0ad2d6757d32c5.jpg

    • Scopedog May 16th, 2015 at 14:29

      Yep–but you know Greenwald is going to send out a few nasty tweets about this one…but f&#! him.

      • StoneyCurtisll May 16th, 2015 at 16:47

        You can bet it it had failed or a bunch of Americans had died they would be reporting it.

    • StoneyCurtisll May 16th, 2015 at 16:46

      Oh Hell Yeah~!

  4. oldfart May 16th, 2015 at 10:39

    The sooner all these murdering criminals are disposed of, the better.
    Trading in your black burka for an orange jumpsuit huh Umm ? How ironic.

    • dave-dr-gonzo May 16th, 2015 at 10:56

      Gives a whole new meaning to “Orange in the New Black”!

    • StoneyCurtisll May 16th, 2015 at 23:10

      I wish we could “bomb them back to the bronze age”…
      But thats where their ideology and mind set is…
      That might be what they want…

  5. Jake May 16th, 2015 at 12:09

    Is John McCain going to his funeral to pay his respects to a lost friend.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omHNhx4N3fs

    • tracey marie May 16th, 2015 at 14:30

      Absolutely horrendous, he seems to have lost his mind and sees things the opposite of reality

      • StoneyCurtisll May 16th, 2015 at 19:44

        I wonder of McCains mind was left in Hanoi Hilton.

        • tracey marie May 16th, 2015 at 19:49

          I do believe he left a part of his humanity there. He was tortured and he never received mental care to overcome that horror , he suffers from PTSD and it is hurting him and us as a country.

          • StoneyCurtisll May 16th, 2015 at 19:54

            Was McCain actually “tortured”?..
            Or was he put through “intense interrogation techniques” and “stress positions”..(as we no define it)..
            If you get my drift..:)

            • tracey marie May 16th, 2015 at 19:55

              He was tortured, His arm was broken in the crash then he was allowed to heal and then it and the other arm was broken again. But yes, according to the right, torture is nothing.

      • burqa May 16th, 2015 at 20:17

        It’s not easy being a maverick!

  6. Gindy51 May 16th, 2015 at 12:12

    And whoever is buying up their gas and oil, we need to put the hurt on them as well, however that shakes out (if some of our oil companies are buying this stuff hell has to break loose all over the fucking place). Hit this snake in the pocket book and it will fold like a house of cards.

  7. Gadea May 16th, 2015 at 16:59

    Hats Off to Delta Force!

  8. NW10 May 16th, 2015 at 17:29

    Derp!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX3sL4B2ftE

    • StoneyCurtisll May 16th, 2015 at 19:41

      Bobby Jingle…
      He makes me laugh, at him.

    • burqa May 16th, 2015 at 20:16

      President Kennedy had the quote that comes to mind seeing Jindal’s boner.
      There had been a number of U-2 incidents over the Soviet Union and China and during the Cuban Missile Crisis Kennedy ordered them grounded because things were so sensitive they didn’t need any incidents to make things worse or possibly trigger a war.
      Well, one of our U-2s flying out of Alaska had navigation problems and ended up flying over the USSR and eventually made it back to the U.S. Kennedy was pissed, but sighed and observed, “There’s always one dumb sonofabitch who doesn’t get the word.”

      • StoneyCurtisll May 16th, 2015 at 20:57

        We have no idea what you are talking about…
        There was no U-2 flights over the Soviet Union…(just Soviet propaganda).

        Oh..
        Gary Powers was shot down and captured,and parts of a U-2 were found in the Soviet Union …
        Ooops Our mistake…:).

        • burqa May 16th, 2015 at 21:59

          ….and of course we all know there’s no such thing as the mafia..

  9. StoneyCurtisll May 16th, 2015 at 19:40

    Delta Force Kills ISIS Moneyman Abu Sayyaf…

    Thank god for Chuck Knoris and Gawd bless UhMerica~!

    http://www.flickeringmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/deltabike.jpg

  10. burqa May 16th, 2015 at 20:10

    This story goes in the Good News forum…..

  11. StoneyCurtisll May 16th, 2015 at 20:45

    Delta Force…
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-UCFBS4a5I

  12. StoneyCurtisll May 16th, 2015 at 21:35

    I’m sure Mrs. Umm Sayyaf his in for a fun time at the hands of US and Iraqi interrogators..
    I have little if any pity for her..

    • Onlywifey August 16th, 2015 at 00:38

      She won’t be raped, at least…unlike her husband raped innocent young women.

      Although…rape is a crime of violence and not sex…so the fact that she is uglier than the lowest of Pavlov’s dogs, is irrelevant…

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