US Special forces kill ISIS Commander Abu Sayyaf in Syria

US Special Operations forces have carried out a raid inside Syria, killing ISIS Commander Abu Sayyaf in it. Sayyaf helped direct the group's oil, gas and financial operations, the Pentagon and White House said on Saturday.

The White House said President Barack Obama ordered the raid that killed the Islamic State figure. US officials said his wife was captured in the raid, whom they suspect to be an active member of ISIS.

Reports say that the special forces flew into Syria on Friday night in a helicopter.

White House National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said in a statement that U.S. personnel based out of Iraq conducted the operation in al-Amr in eastern Syria.

"During the course of the operation, Abu Sayyaf was killed when he engaged U.S. forces," Meehan said.

"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," Meehan said.

Meehan said the operation was conducted "with the full consent of Iraqi authorities" and "consistent with domestic and international law".

BREAKING: U.S. says American forces killed #ISIS senior leader Abu Sayyaf in #Syria last night pic.twitter.com/1K7AGHQbZV

— Ben Gittleson (@bgittleson) May 16, 2015

(With Agency Inputs)