May 2015 U.S. special forces raid in Syria

2015 U.S. special forces raid in Syria Part of the Military intervention against ISIL (Foreign involvement in the Syrian Civil War) Date 15 May 2015 Location al-Amr, Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria Result American victory Belligerents  United States Supported by:  United Kingdom (surveillance) Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Commanders and leaders Barack Obama Abu Sayyaf  † Umm Sayyaf  (POW) Strength 1st SFOD-Delta UH-60 Black Hawk and V-22 Osprey aircraft Unknown precisely; Military of ISIL Casualties and losses None 31+ fighters killed 1 Yazidi slave freed

Syrian Civil War Timeline Jan–Apr 2011 May–Aug 2011 Sep–Dec 2011 Jan–Apr 2012 May–Aug 2012 Sep–Dec 2012 Jan–Apr 2013 May–Dec 2013 Jan–July 2014 Aug–Dec 2014 Jan–July 2015 Aug–Dec 2015 Jan–Apr 2016 May–Aug 2016 Sep–Dec 2016 Casualties Cities Bombings Massacres Civil uprising in Syria (March–August 2011) Daraa Baniyas Homs (May–August 2011) Talkalakh Rastan and Talbiseh 1st Jisr ash-Shugur 1st Jabal al-Zawiya Hama Latakia Start of insurgency (September 2011 – April 2012) Homs (2011–14) Homs offensive 1st Idlib Gov. Syrian–Turkish border Jabal al-Zawiya 1st Idlib City Saraqeb 1st Rastan Hama Gov. Daraa Gov. Kernaz 1st Rif Dimashq 1st Zabadani Douma Deir ez-Zor (2011–2014) Hatla Aleppo Gov. Azaz 2nd Rastan 1st al-Qusayr 2nd Idlib Gov. Taftanaz Cease-fire and civil war (May 2012 – December 2013) 3rd Rastan Houla Al-Haffah Al-Qubeir Al-Tremseh 3rd Idlib Gov. 1st Damascus Bombing Aleppo Anadan Menagh Air Base Base 46 Khan al-Assal 1st Aleppo offensive 2nd Aleppo offensive Syrian Kurdistan Ras al-Ayn Kurdish–Islamist conflict Nubl & Al-Zahraa 2nd Rif Dimashq (1st Darayya) Abu al-Duhur Airbase Quneitra Gov. 3rd Rif Dimashq 1st Yarmouk camp 2nd Darayya Darayya & Muadamiyat Aqrab 1st Hama offensive Halfaya 1st Safira Shadadeh 2nd Damascus Raqqa 1st Daraa offensive 4th Rif Dimashq Jdaidet al-Fadl Ghouta Al-Qusayr offensive 2nd al-Qusayr Bayda and Baniyas 2nd Hama offensive 1st Latakia offensive Ma'loula Sadad 5th Rif Dimashq 1st Qalamoun Adra Rise of the Islamists (January–September 2014) Rebel–ISIL conflict Markada 1st Deir ez-Zor offensive al-Otaiba ambush Maan Hosn Morek 2nd Daraa offensive 2nd Latakia offensive 4th Idlib Gov. Al-Malihah 2nd Wadi Deif 2nd Qalamoun Arsal 1st Shaer gas field Eastern Syria Tabqa Air base 3rd Hama offensive 6th Rif Dimashq Quneitra Kobanî United States-led intervention (September 2014 – September 2015) U.S.-led intervention 3rd Daraa offensive 2nd Safira 2014 Idlib city raid Nusra–FSA conflict 2nd Shaer gas field 1st Al-Shaykh Maskin 2nd Deir ez-Zor offensive 3rd Aleppo offensive An-26 crash 4th Daraa offensive Southern Syria Eastern al-Hasakah offensive 1st Sarrin Hama/Homs offensive Bosra 5th Idlib Gov 2nd Idlib city Al-Fu'ah-Kafriya Nasib 2nd Yarmouk camp 1st Northwestern Syria 3rd Qalamoun 1st Palmyra Western al-Hasakah offensive 1st Al-Hasakah city Tell Abyad Daraa/As-Suwayda 2nd Quneitra 2nd Sarrin 5th Daraa 2nd Al-Hasakah city 2nd Kobanî 4th Aleppo offensive 2nd Zabadani 2nd Palmyra Al-Ghab 1st Al-Qaryatayn Douma market 7th Rif Dimashq Kuweires offensive Russian intervention (September 2015 – March 2016) Russian intervention 3rd Quneitra 2nd Northwestern Syria 3rd Latakia offensive Su-24 shootdown 5th Aleppo offensive Al-Hawl Homs offensive 6th Aleppo offensive 4th Hama offensive Tell Tamer Tishrin Dam 2nd Al-Shaykh Maskin al-Qamishli bombings Orontes River 3rd Deir ez-Zor offensive 1st Sayyidah Zaynab 7th Aleppo offensive 1st Ithriyah-Raqqa Al-Shaddadi Homs bombings 2nd Sayyidah Zaynab Khanasir 2nd Tel Abyad 2nd Al-Qaryatayn 3rd Palmyra 2nd Maarat al-Nu'man Aleppo escalation and Turkish intervention (March 2016–present) 8th Aleppo offensive 6th Daara 9th–11th Aleppo offensives Al-Dumayr East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict Al-Qamishli clashes Aleppo bombings 8th Rif Dimashq 3rd Shaer gas field 1st northern Raqqa Jableh & Tartus Manbij Tokhar 2nd Ithriyah-Raqqa 9th Rif Dimashq 12th–14th Aleppo offensives 12th 13th 14th 4th Latakia offensive Al-Bukamal 3rd Qamishli Atmeh al-Rai 3rd Al-Hasakah City Turkish intervention Northern al-Bab Dabiq al-Bab 5th Hama offensive 1st Western al-Bab Eastern Qalamoun September bombings 4th Quneitra offensive Deir ez-Zor airstrike Aleppo aid convoy attack 15th Aleppo offensive Khan al-Shih Idlib inter-rebel conflict 2nd Western al-Bab 16th Aleppo offensive 2nd Northern Raqqa 17th Aleppo offensive 4th Palmyra Syrian War spillover and international incidents Lebanon spillover Lebanese–Syrian border Sidon Iranian embassy bombing North Lebanon Clashes Syrian–Turkish border Turkey-SAA F4 aircraft Kurdish riots Reyhanlı Russo-Turkish confrontation Russian Su-24 shootdown Syrian–Israeli ceasefire line Mazraat Amal Jordanian–Syrian border Syrian–Iraqi border Akashat al-Shabah Foreign involvement in the Syrian Civil War Turkish involvement Turkey–ISIL conflict Relocation of the Tomb of Suleyman Shah military intervention Russian involvement military intervention Iranian involvement Hezbollah involvement Israeli airstrikes Jan 2013 Rif Dimashq May 2013 Rif Dimashq Dec 2014 Rif Dimashq U.S.-led Intervention Timeline of raids 2014 rescue operation May 2015 raid Dutch involvement German intervention French intervention Australian intervention UK intervention Jordanian intervention Operation Martyr Muath Qatari support Saudi support Foreign rebel fighters

On 15 May 2015, 1st SFOD-Delta operators from the Joint Special Operations Command based in Iraq conducted an operation in Al-Amr, Syria to capture a senior Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) leader named Abu Sayyaf, resulting in his death when he engaged United States forces in combat, after his location was confirmed by surveillance from British SAS operators.^[1][2] Abu Sayyaf 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 a Yazidi woman who was held as a slave. About a dozen ISIL fighters were also killed in the raid, two US officials said.^[4] The Syrian 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 and Bell 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 regime, handles corruption allegations among top officials and most critically, how international coalition strikes have dented but not destroyed ISIS income. Defense Secretary Ash Carter called the raid a “significant blow” against Islamic State and heralded the death of the terror group’s No. 2 oil executive.^[5]

The raid was also a test for a new strategy of "targeted killing" for the Expeditionary Targeting Force.^[6]

See also

• Foreign involvement in the Syrian Civil War

References