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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Oregon man who killed officer had long criminal record ... Oregon House bill advances removal of gray wolf from endangered list ... Couple stranded in snow on Upper Grave Creek Road rescued ... Oregon man who killed officer had long criminal record ... Oregon House bill advances removal of gray wolf from endangered list ... Couple stranded in snow on Upper Grave Creek Road rescued ... US commandos kill senior IS leader in Syria raid U.S. commandos mounted a rare raid into eastern Syria overnight, killing a senior Islamic State leader in a firefight, capturing his wife and rescuing a Yazidi woman held as a slave, the Pentagon said Saturday. Comment By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted May. 16, 2015 at 10:17 AM By The Associated Press Posted May. 16, 2015 at 10:17 AM » Social News BEIRUT — U.S. commandos mounted a rare raid into eastern Syria overnight, killing a senior Islamic State leader in a firefight, capturing his wife and rescuing a Yazidi woman held as a slave, the Pentagon said Saturday. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced the raid, identifying the militant as Abu Sayyaf. He said no U.S. forces were killed or injured in the operation. The raid was the first known U.S. ground operation targeting IS militants in Syria. A U.S.-led coalition has been striking the extremists from the air for months, but the only previous time American troops set foot on the ground in Syria was in an unsuccessful commando mission to recover hostages last summer. The Britain-based Syria Observatory for Human Rights confirmed an attack on the IS-controlled Omar oil field, Syria's largest, saying at least 19 IS members, including 12 foreigners, were killed. The group did not say who carried out the attack, but said it was informed that there was an airdrop that followed the airstrikes. The Observatory relies on a network of activists on the ground in Syria. Syrian state TV earlier 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 Omar field. The Syrian report, which appeared as an urgent news bar on state TV, was not repeated by the state news agency. State TV didn't repeat the urgent news or elaborate on it. It was not immediately clear why both Syria and the U.S. would claim a similar operation. The U.S. has said it is not cooperating with President Bashar Assad's government in the battle against the Islamic State group. But it says it usually gives Damascus a heads-up on operations within its borders. 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. A statement from the U.S. National Security Council said 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," it said. A U.S. defense official said the leader killed was a Tunisian national designated by IS as the organization's "emir of oil and gas." The official said Abu Sayyaf had "associations" with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State group, and was thought to have knowledge about a wide range of IS operations. A senior Iraqi intelligence official said Abu Sayyaf is a former follower of Osama bin Laden who later joined the IS group. The official said Iraqi authorities had given the Americans information about him, saying he was in charge of IS finances. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters. The U.S. defense official said the raid was conducted overnight Friday (Friday evening Washington time) by a team of Army Delta commandos who flew from Iraq into eastern Syria aboard V-22 Osprey aircraft and Blackhawk helicopters. Upon arrival at the target, which was a multi-story building, the Americans met stiff resistance. A "fairly intense firefight" ensued, including hand-to-hand combat, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details of the raid by name. The U.S. estimates that about a dozen IS fighters were killed but no civilians were wounded, even though women and children were present. The Americans returned to their base unharmed by about midnight Washington time. The official said the woman, identified as Umm Sayyaf, is an Iraqi citizen and is in U.S. custody in Iraq. By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted May. 16, 2015 at 10:17 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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