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| US Special Force |
US special operations forces have killed an Islamic State commander
through a dramatic and secretive raid into Syria and have taken a woman
prisoner, the first US-held detainee of the war against Isis and a move that
places immediate stress on one of Barack Obama’s signature wartime policies.
Ashton Carter, the US defense secretary, confirmed on Saturday that
Obama ordered the elite troops to raid a location in eastern Syria and
“capture” an Isis figure, Abu Sayyaf. Unusually, Carter said the raid also
targeted the man’s wife, identified as Umm Sayyaf.
Abu Sayyaf was killed in the raid, Carter said. Umm Sayyaf was taken
prisoner – 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.
A White House statement indicated the Iraqi government “contributed” to
the operation, involvement that could signal Umm Sayyaf’s ultimate dispensation.
Bernadette Meehan, the National Security Council spokeswoman, said Umm
Sayyaf was “in military detention in Iraq”. US officials did not immediately
respond to requests for elaboration about her conditions and what they intend
to do with her.
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