U.S. Special Forces kill senior ISIS leader Abu Sayyaf

ISIS
(Image credit: (AP Photo/Militant Website, File))

In a raid on Friday night, U.S Special Forces killed Abu Sayyaf, a senior ISIS leader, at his home in eastern Syria.

The raid was originally intended as a "snatch and grab" that would leave Abu Sayyaf alive, but when gunfire broke out between the Special Forces operatives and ISIS militants, Abu Sayyaf was killed in the ensuing battle. 12 enemy fighters were killed during the battle. There were no American casualties.

The Special Forces team captured Abu Sayyaf's wife alive, and freed a young woman who was apparently being held as a slave in his household.

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Scott Meslow

Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.