general, who was abu sayyaf. >> abu sayyaf was the cfo for is irx is. he was responsible for all the oil and gas revenue and also creeping up in the organizational structure as having a very large command and control portfolio, as well. so this was a significant hit this morning. >> the white house, of course has said that we would not put boots on the ground in syria, it seems like we just did that. have we established a new precedent? >> oh, no. these boots were look let's not call them boots. these are special operators that went after a very high-value target eliminated the target and were able to come back safely with abu sayyaf's wife um sayyaf who is the deputy to her former husband. this was a high-risk, high-reward operation executed phenomenally. >> in other words, you're saying there could be great military significance. intelligence gathered from the wife. >> absolutely correct. the interrogation that will follow ing this is significant. that's kind of point number one. point number two, as a result of this raid special operators walked away

and they didn't just take -- they did not just kill abu sayyaf sayyaf, they took his wife and also communications equipment from the compound where he was staying. so if you can follow that money trail, it could lead to significant developments. also abu sayyaf was someone who is believed to have been or was believed to is been personally close to the ameer al baghdadi. >> as you're well aware, ashton carter has released a statement saying that this operation represents another significant blow to isis. but how significant is this raid in the overall fight against them especially when we consider that isis forces in iraq have just taken control of government buildings in ramadi? >> well, globally, i don't think it will be a game changing kind of event. you have as you said isis taking new ground in the city of ramadi, isis forces right on the foot steps of the ancient and very beautiful historic site in syria. so isis still able to conduct defensive operations. but this is a very aggressive operation from the u.s. military. launched by u.s. special operations forces authorized by the president, p

defense department says abu sayyaf was targeted at the oil field and played an important role in raising funds for i.s.i.l. and smuggling i will and gas out of syria and iraq. >> reporter: the white house where are is telling al jazeera it was president obama that ordered the attack to capture and kill abu sayyaf. the elite delta force participating, located in iraq, going into syria, we understand there was ground or hand to hand combat that resulted in the death of abu sayyaf. and the capture of his wife umm say of. a young yazidis girl has been rescued and been reunited with her family. the united states pouring over reams of data collected in the operation. we are told that in fact there were computers and parred drives - hard discs, in fact and they are analysed in terms of trying to understand who abu sayyaf was. he was in charge of oil and gas. a major source of renew. the u.s. defending its actions saying that it worked with rocky authorities, pointing out that it did not consult authorities saying that the u.s. fews that the action contributing to the rise of i.s.i.l. and it can

evan, tell us more about the reach of abu sayyaf. u.s. officials have described him as the cfo, the chief financial officer of isis but you are learning there is even more to him than that. >> reporter: that's right, fred. the importance of abu sayyaf and now his spouse his wife who is being interrogated by the fbi team the high value interrogation group, is that they have according to u.s. official official they're believed to have deep knowledge and involvement in the isis hostage-taking operation and so the expectation is or the hope is from this interrogation of the spouse of the wife that they are going to learn more about how that worked the treatment of the hostages. as you know some of the hostages the u.s. hostages have been killed murdered beheaded in very gruesome ways. and so now the hope is that they can begin to gather evidence both intelligence and possible evidence for a prosecution if that is the route they want to take. right now the wife is being held in military custody. i believe barbara starr reported that she was ta

of course, but, here, questions who abu sayyaf is. up until the announcement yesterday about this raid taking place, most isis experts in this region and people who have covered isis over the past couple of years, really had not heard of abu sayyaf until then. now, of course, the name could be his nomo it could be meaning father of sayyaf as it translates into arabic. it's unclear what role he played in the organization and definitely not one of the names we have heard or we have known to be on a wanted list of sorts that has raised some sort of speculation among isis experts saying were there any intended targets of on this operation and he also happened to be there? and also targeted in this operation. of course, very key is what intelligence the u.s. manages to gather from this, from the computers, from documents, whatever that was seized on this raid that will give them possibly insight into the group. what it is up to and the structure of the organization and whether this individual senior leader as the u.s. describes him, had co

daring mission to kachcapture isis commander eye abu sayyaf. the next few days, officials will analyze that data and fbi-led high value

during the operation abu sayyaf was killed. here's some details according to jim lachefski saying it was carried out by army force commandos. raided an isis compound in eastern syria and an intense fire fight ensued and that's is when abu sayyaf was killed. he was killed fighting. an official tells me 12 other enemy fighters were also killed. i want to underscore the point you mentioned melissa no u.s. personnel killed in that raid. um sayyaf was captured. and held by a slave by the couple. i was told earlier um sayyaf may have been in a broader trafficking and in isis. abu sayyaf had a senior role in overseeing isis's oil and gas operations. oil and gas is a key source of revenue. and in a statement defense secretary ash carter said the operation represents another significant blow to isis and it is a reminder that the united states will never waver in denying safe haven to terrorists who threaten our citizens and friends and allies. the president is expressing his gratitude to the u.s. personnel who carried out the mission an

is questioning abu sayyaf's wife umm. they have collected all kinds of intelligence of isis including laptops and documents and cell phones. here's how it all went down. >> it was led by delta force who entered the area on black hawk helicopters and a rotator osprey. about two dozen got off the aircraft and the aircraft hovered overhead. they defended the multi-story building from inside and outside positions. but special forces were able to get close to the building and blow a hole inside. they went in encountered isis fighters and there was more gunfire and hand-to-hand combat. they used the women and children as human shields, but the u.s. managed to kill the fighters without hurting women and children. they took with them umm sayyaf. >> most lawmakers in the u.s. are praising the mission, which was authorized by president obama, but some are questioning is it worth the risk? that may be because we still don't know a lot about this so-called isis money man who officials say was the target. we don't even know his real n

general, who was abu sayyaf. >> abu sayyaf was the cfo for is i is. he was responsible for all the oil and gas revenue and also creeping up in the organizational structure as having a very large

abu sayyaf was his name, known to be a key associate of abu bakr al-baghdadi, the leader of isis. as david martin reports, this was a high-risk operation for the u.s. military which apparently yielded high rewards including the capture of sayyaf's wife. >> reporter: the delta force commandos went into syria aboard black hawk helicopters and tilt- rotor osprey aircraft. their target was a building where abu sayyaf lived with his wife and oversaw black market oil operations, a major source of isis income. one pentagon official called him the chief financial officer of isis. isis oil facilities have been frequent targets of the u.s.-led bombing campaign, but this time, the delta commandos intended to capture the man who ran the operation. a firefight broke out, and according to pentagon officials, some of the isis fighters attempted to use women and children as human shields. about a dozen enemy fighters were killed in fighting that sometimes involved hand-to-hand combat. pentagon officials said there were no reports of civilian casualties and no americans were killed or wounded, alt

the man killed was abu sayyaf and his wife umm sayyaf. and bob baer is going to join us again, and give us a picture of how high up this guy was? >> well, he was not that high up. he was not on a list. and look at it this way, for the first serious raid, they would have preferred to have grabbed somebody more important, and whether it was baghdadi or one of the lieutenants, but i think that the intelligence on the islamic state is still weak. we are still looking for targets, and they stay off of the air. i think it is good news that they did hit an isis target but on the other hand i am pretty sure at this point they would have wanted somebody more important, and higher up to say, hey, this stuff really works, and especially with the way things are going in ramadi we need a victory. >> and do you think that u.s. forces would have had to have had some help on the ground the know enough about this target to the feel confident going in that they could go in and execute and get out with everyone alive? >> i think that they are looking at the

the delta force killed abu sayyaf when he resisted capture. nick payton walsh has more. >> not particularly well known in terms of isis leadership circles. a name who the united states says was behind the money, behind the oil and increasingly involved in military operations. we don't know his real name. abu sayyaf just means the father of sayyaf. his wife, umm sayyaf just means the mother of sayyaf. why this man was so important. they endured an enormous risk. this was a capture mission, not a kill mission. had it been a kill mission, they could have used a drone. they were after intelligence, the things he knew and things his computer and phone had on them. very complex indeed. they flew into one of the most dangerous parts of isis held territory. an isis military base, a three to five kilometers area around it. we spoke to them softening beforehand. delta forces came in hand-to-hand fighting, bloody knuckles along the soldiers. extraordinarily vicious fight for this man, who they hoped to find alive. a complex task, certainly for u.s. comma

those around abu sayyaf and abu sayyaf himself engaged in a fire fight. it's said they tried to use women and children as human shields. everywhere was killed who engaged u.s. troops, know u.s. commandos were killed. an individual who was a target was tape out alive. and that -- taken out alive. that was the wife umm sayyaf and she was described as no innocent. ash carter put out a statement reading in part: allegations by u.s. officials, that a yazidi woman, the religious minority was located they were trapped on mt sinjar last year liberated in part due to u.s. coordinated air strikes. still persecuted and one individual held as a slave by this couple, abu and umm sayyaf. reaction in washington is, of course applauding the military rehabilitation but criticizing president obama for the recent gapes. in the last 48 hours or four days by i.s.i.l. in vital towns very close to the capital city of baghdad. ramadi now tape over partially by i.s.i.l. forces and the oil refinely at baigy and the town -- baiji also under siege by i.s.i.l. forces as they try to t

officials say commandos had to kill abu sayyaf when he resisted capture. sayyaf helped isis earn the title of the best resource terror organization in the world. last year alone, the group made nearly half a billion dollars. but where does the money come from? cnn's neme el baghar explains. >> reporter: trading, antiquities, oil, how much is isis myth making? they have believed to be the best resourced terror organization in the world, but after months of coalition air strikes, how isis's revenue streams really holding up? oil was their main source of funding. in the summer of 2014, isis made between $2 million and $3 million a day through the sale of smuggled oil. the major refineries have been high value targets for coalition strikes. and activists on the ground tell us isis is increasingly reliant on primitive refineries that are smaller and easier for them to run, like this one. sources inside iraq say their revenue from selling smuggled oil is now down from between $250,000 and $500,000. as the air strikes began late september, isis began diversifying

abu sayyaf and his wife who is being called umm sayyaf was there. there was a gun fight according to a military official. that abu sayyaf did not agree to go peacefully. he was killed. his wife was captured. and yazidi woman which is a local ethnic group that isis has enslaved who was working as a slave for this family was freed in the rescue mission or in this capture mission i should say. and that there were -- was a gun battle and that 20 other armed insurgents security forces in the area were killed. so it's quite a daring operation to have u.s. special operations forces try to do a snatch and grab mission in the middle of isis country. they did seize some communications equipment. they seized some documents and other bits of intelligence from the home which the u.s. military believes can be useful in learning more about isis. it sends a strong message frankly. it sends a message that the u.s. isn't going to bomb from drones but that if necessary, or if the time and place of the u.s. choosing will go on the ground and try and grab people. it sen

senior isis commander abu sayyaf was killed in a special ops raid. do you know if he was actually responsible for any american deaths? >> again, i think if you assume that he was one of the high level actors officials within isis, we know he was in charge of some of the oil and gas operations and financial operations. if he directly wasn't responsible, we know the money he raised through isis was directly responsible for the deaths of americans and the deaths of iraqi citizens and the people of syria. we know by the mere fact he was in charge of financing the operation, he has blood on his hands. >> because a lot of us had never heard of this guy. spoke to a lot of isis experts, they never heard of this guy. when the u.s. issued their most wanted isis terrorists the other day, he was not on that list. had you ever heard of him? >> i knew they were of course operating the oil and gas systems and that's how they were financing. had i heard him individually named, it was not something we spent a lot of time focusing on as part of the efforts to take out

in the interim i want to ask about the value of abu sayyaf's wife. taking a wife. >> custody but didn't always yield a lot. but she is considered to be a member of isis, they had a yazidi slave. what do you expect they could get out of a commander's wife? >> so to my mind, abu sayyaf's importance is more to do with the human trafficking component of isis, particularly american hostages that had been captured and brutally killed by them. it's been reported by abc news katie mueller, abu sayyaf was responsible for her captivity. an emotional component, capture him live bring limb to the united states and have him stand trial for all the victims of isis. >> perhaps the wife will have -- >> she will because -- >> are they as high as they say they are, they will not have a lot of interplay with the female hostage. >> look, they lived together obviously and she'll have seen the other isis figures who paid homage or visited abu sayyaf over the course of several months, maybe years. so she'll have what i call the rolodex side of this. know where the other gu

>> i agree with everything julie said but a bit of stature inflation for abu sayyaf. the idea he he was the chief financial officer of isis i wrote a book on these guys most of the analysts that study isis a lot of people inside isis either hadn't heard of him or heard of him but thought of him as a marginal or mid-level commander. the minister of the minister of finance is called abu salah. if he's the minister of finance, how does this guy become the cfo? i think the act pekt to focus on apart -- aspect to focus on apart from the idea of black population, that's how we have to play it against isis because they played against us in a direct fashion. the real value, i'm told and it's been reported by abc news as well as my colleague at "the daily beast," this guy played an integral role in the capture of hostages particularly kayla mueller, confirmed killed by isis. there's an emotional payback element of this too. the president authorized this mission. he wanted to capture abu sayyaf alive, bring him back to the united states and probably have him stand trial, sort o

tell us about this man, abu sayyaf. who is he how critical is he. >> reporter: i have to tell you poppy, information is sketchy. he is not broadly known to those who follow isis in the media, in the academic world, but clearly someone that u.s. intelligence and the u.s. military had known about and were tracking for some time. i think a lot more is likely to come to light. we can't assume we know everything at this hour. but officials familiar with the raid in syria have told cnn that he was for some time essentially the oil and gas emir the head of isis' oil and gas operations which had in the past been vital to them raising money. but recently had become something much more than that something very troubling. he had taken on an increasing role in isis operations planning commanding control and critical information here. the u.s. believes he may well have had some kind of communication with abu bakr al baghdadi, the leader of isis. so you put this whole intelligence picture together plus his wife and her knowledge pote

his name was abu sayyaf. he was not only a top isis military commander but he also controlled the terror organization's financial operations. so he was kind of the money man. he controlled the money flow for isis. so this raid and killing him, taking him out could really significantly impact isis' financial operation and of course as i said the money flow. what we know about the raid and this was a really intense fight. it happened last night, according to u.s. officials, when the u.s. army delta force were air-dropped deep into isis territory in eastern syria near an area near the al-omar oil fields controlled by isis. they got into a firefight with isis militants, including abu sayyaf. they killed him, they captured his wife umm, and also what we're hearing at this point is that there was hand-to-hand combat between those delta force commandos and isis militants. we are hearing at least a dozen isis militants were killed and those commandos, along with capturing umm, the guy's wife they also rescued a young

capture and interrogate abu sayyaf. former special forces officer. >> this is not just another person. >> reporter: counterterrorism official tells abc news sayyaf is believed to be the isis leader to be given american hostage kay j la mueller as a forced bride or slave. the question on many minds after thousands of air strikes on isis targets why risk a dangerous ground operation. >> we wanted to capture him, no question about that. he could have given a lot of information about their whole financial structure. >> reporter: but fate would have otherwise. a fierce fire fight. defending the building using women and children as human shields, the pentagon said. >> it happens in close quarter battles. they'll duck under their rifle. >> reporter: abu sayyaf killed in the fire jchbfight. his wife captured. all american personnel returned safely after scooping up laptop computers that could prove to be an intelligence wind fall isis has been making gains in recent weeks in recent. it sends a unmistakable message to isis leade

abu sayyaf killed in the fire fight ray long with dozen isis fighters. his wife held captive or questioning. all american personnel returned safely after snatching up laptops that could be a huge win fall. >> it should have an impact on isis that we can go do raise and take out their leaders anytime we wanted to it. >> reporter: isis made gains on the battlefield in syria but it won't reverse the gains but it may make isis leaders salim a little less -- sleep a little less at night. >> the unofficial summer business at the shore. take a look at the new video of frames shooting from the 7th street surf shoch. nobody was injured we don't know what caused the blaze. >>> we're hearing from the gambler robbed after leaving the sugarhouse casino. he is talking about the face-to-face encounter. vernon odem talked to him. >> reporter: the south philadelphia man took a taxi home from the sugarhouse casino with his overnight earnings which police say totaled $1,000. the moment he was dropped off a masked gunman appeared. >> put on the ground or i will kill you. >>

they did take out about a dozen isis fighters in the raid, and one of the most wanted abu sayyaf who is wanted for a key isis revenue stream oil. instead of killing his wife, they captured her, and they are interrogating her, and they took reams of isis intelligence and computers and laptops, and mobile phoners ersphones and they did it with zero casualties. we will talk about this with colonel james reece, but for the moment we have barbara starr at the pentagon, is that right? joining me is colonel james reece, internal affairs analyst. and when we look at, this how big of a target is this? i know they wanted to capture him and not kill him, but the fact that they have taken out abu sayyaf how critical is that that? >> good evening, poppy. yes, it is a big target, but the jsoc the joint special operations command in the special league delta this is what they are design ded to do. they are designed to get the high payoff targets to literally take down the network and to the launch from different areas of the world and to go into syria, and show the combat power we can put anywhere i

is it a success even though abu sayyaf killed not captured? >> so, george, really important here, the real value here is taking a guy off the battlefield who's incredibly important to the organization, to funding it, to running it, very close to the senior leadership, taking him off the battlefield very important. it would have been great to keep him alive and questioned him, but his wife worked very closely with him. she'll be able to tell us a lot, george. those computers, that information we got is going to help us understand the organization better, unravel it. >> in your new book, you explain some of the intelligence files picked up after the 2014 raids deep inside syria, we learned about the ambitions of isis there. >> two documents in that cache was is how effective weapons of maz destruction can be. that is us. and how you make bubonic plague and used that against the enemy, and that is us. the religious justification for using weapons of mass destruction. >> we could be learning more from these new files. as terry mentioned, isis taki

plus the latest details on the raid that called abu sayyaf. thanks for watching abc news and don't forget the billboard awards tonight. >> okay. >> on abc. see ya. >>> good morning, america. ♪ ♪ ♪ it took tim morehouse years to master the perfect lunge. but only one attempt to master depositing checks at chase atms. technology designed for you. so you can easily master the way you bank. >> announcer: starting right now on abc's "this week," breaking news. a daring raid by the elite delta force deep inside syria that just killed a key isis leader, can his captured wife reveal crucial information? >>> mystery on the tracks. the fbi now investigating. did a projectile hit the doomed amtrak train moments before it crashed. >>> sentenced to die. why dzhokhar tsarnaev could spend decades behind bars despite that dramatic death penalty ruling. >>> plus, 2016 surprises. republicans turning on jeb bush's iraq misstep, democrats piling on president obama on trade. senators mitch mcconnell and dianne

abu sayyaf killed in the fire fight along with a dozen isis fighters. his wife captured and held for questioning. they snatched up laptops and other information which would be a huge win fall for the u.s. isis has been making gains on the battle fields in iraq and syria in recent weeks the raise won't reverse the gains but might make isis leaders sleep a little less easy at night. terry moran abc news london. >>> here at home, fire has damaged a business on the ocean city boardwalk a week before memorial day. take a look at the video of flames and smoke shooting from the 7th street surf shop. crews managed to get it under control in a half-hour. nobody was injured. we don't know what caused the blaze. >>> we're hearing from the gamblers robbed after leaving the sugarhouse casino. he is talking about the face-to-face encounter he had with the gunman. vernon odem talked to the gamblers whose luck almost ran out. >> reporter: the south philadelphia man took a taxi home from the sugarhouse casino with his earnings which totaled almost $12,000. the moment he

commandos left unharmed taking with them abu sayyaf's wife. u.s. officials a little she helped manage hostages taken by isis. the raid was bold and risky. it could yield intelligence. but it's unlikely to change the overall battle. >> this operation sent a very clear message to isis that even a safe haven aren't completely safe that u.s. forces will go anywhere. that woman, the wife now in u.s. custody, i'm told she is talking. richard engel, nbc news istanbul. >>> right now hundreds of people stranded in the mountains of nepal. a massive 7.3 aftershock hit the region on tuesday killing more than 100 people. what you're looking at is video showing folks crowding around the helicopter trying to get on board. hundreds living in tents near the border of china. >> an officer recovered after being hurt on the job. we're working to find out why a d.c. ambulance was not available to transport that officer. he was hur on the job yesterday but had to be transported to the hospital by a prince george's county ambulance. police tell us the officer hurt his kn

we don't even know his own name abu sayyaf translates to "father of the swordsman," an assumed name. i am joined with more on this. lawmakers, some of them are kind of using their words very carefully. how are they couching their concerns about the risk versus the reward of the mission? >> fred some on capitol hill are splashing a little bit of cold water on the significance of this mission when it comes to weighing the risks, and weighing that against the reward of this mission, ploengsly any intelligence learned from those materiels captured on the ground and how big abu sayyaf is within the isis community. here is what the top democrat in the house intelligence committee said on "state of the union" earlier today. >> and of course, the materiels, both electronic and otherwise that have been seized could present a great value. i think when things go well, you don't often tend to question them as much, and i think before we see or embark on a lot more of these kinds of operations we have to weigh the risk of escalation. >> reporter: he has a lot of questions about this mission for t

abu sayyaf killed in the combat along with a dozen isis fighters. his iraqi-born wife captured and held for questioning. 18-year-old yezidi woman reportedly freed. all american personnel returning safely, after seizing laptops possibly containing intelligence about the terrorist group. this raid comes as isis is advancing on other fronts, especially in the key iraqi city of ramadi. but what happened to abu sayyaf sends a clear message to all isis leaders, there's no safe place for you. >> terry, thank you. >>> and back home as fbi forensic experts analyze whether a flying object hit the amtrak train that derailed in a deadly track. new audio tapeses emerging as to what might have happened. abc news' philip mena joins us with the very latest. >> reporter: forcing amtrak to install speed control technology at the crash site. the same technology they say could have prevented this. this morning, ntsb collecting ed from the derailed amtrak train, attempting to answer the question, could this damage to the windshield somehow played a role in the crash? >>

nick, what do we know about this commander who is known as abu sayyaf? >> very little, frankly, until the news was broken yesterday of his death in that raid. this is a man who was said to at one point be running the lucrative oil industry that isis had in northern iraq-s said to have been a key man in terms of the shipment of money around and potentially increasingly involved in military operations. we really only have the u.s.'s word for that, and we don't have, for example, many of the key isis experts we normally talk to knowing much about this man as all. some say he was often an associate of the isis spokesman, mohammed al adnani, one offering a name that's not confirmed independently. he was caught in the building with his wife and killed as he resisted. you have to bear in mind, it was an extraordinarily high-risk move. twenty delta forces at the white house order breaking through two defensive lines a multi-story building, fist fights and blood on the knuckles, barbara starr, reported yesterday of some of the commanders. a move that could have g

abu sayyaf, his nickname meaning "father of sayyaf." we don't know who sayyaf is. presumably his son but we don't know how old or what he does. we seem confused where he comes from. the united states seems to think he's tunisian, but we have had reports out of the region saying he's from mosul and before that saudi arabia. >> sreenivasan: one of the interesting things i found is this is the first time i heard about u.s. troops on the ground in syria, and they were launched from iraq. >> that's right. so this is the first time that we know of that u.s. special forces have gone into syria with the intent of killing or capturing enemy combatant. we know that there was the attempted raid to rescue hostages, such as james foley before. this is the first time they've gone forward to conduct combat and try to kill and capture people. and it was launched from. in the past iraq has been very circumspect about allowing attacks to be launched outside its borders into another country. evidently, the existence of the islamic state has changed their mind on that point. >> sreeni

francine: how much do we know about abu sayyaf? this wasn't his real name. elliott: we know that he was, according to u.s. spokespeople someone that was really directing, almost like a finance minister of what islamic state likes to call its caliphate. we know that the islamic state very much relies on things like oil sales and ransoms to help operate the territories where it now holds sway. they are very much hoping that the killing of abu sayyaf will in some way disrupt islamic state in order to give them a window into how it operates and make them better able to disrupt the advances that it has been making the most notable among them, the taking of the biggest city in iraq's biggest province over the weekend. francine: thank you so much, elliott gotkine. still to come, we talked ethical investing. some funds are ditching companies that contribute to climate change. we will bring you the details after the break. just a reminder, you can follow us on twitter. guy johnson is off today but he is on twitter. the question of the day focuses on the u.k. we found

and women and children were being used as human shields. 12 members of isis including abu sayyaf was killed. fighting was intense. ancient artifacts were recovered, along with cell phones computers, and documents. we heard from the general earlier in the day. >> think of him as the oil minister and finance minister combined. 0 so anybody like that as part of the top leadership in isis this will be a set back for isis. it won't stop their military operations per se. the mission was largely what we refer to as a capture-kill mission. the purpose is intelligence. >> the white house also speaking out after the raid saying that president obama did approve the operation after his intelligence officials deemed it it could be carried out successfully. like i said artifacts recovered, but also that intelligence material we also know that no u.s. forces were injured or kill during this raid. back to you guys. >>> thank you. fascinating details about this raid and as "the new york times" reporting this morning, he was a mid level guy and probably easily replaceable. they are comparing him to al

and that was abu sayyaf. isis' top financier their oil and gas man, who if head would have been captured alive would have been able to provide them with endless intelligence valuable intelligence presumably, but in the fire fight, intense fire fight in which we're told there was hand-to-hand combat, and one of the delta force commandos had to kill his attacker with his bare hands, that's the kind of fight that was going on inside that building. when they got to the room where abu sayyaf was located, he had a gun or went for a gun, and the commandos were forced to shoot him, regrettably according to the officials. they still have his wife in custody, but she will be turned over for iraqis at some point. now, again where they think they failed in this manages is they didn't grab their target alive but nevertheless all escaped none of the americans wounded or killed. even on the way out their helicopters took some heavy fire, but to no avail as far as isis was concerned. >> jim miklaszewski, thanks for that. >>>

officials say the americans target abu sayyaf was a money man. he managed the oil and gas income and was personally close to the isis leader, al baghdadi. >> the fact that the united states was willing to mount a capture mission to grab him shows he was a really important person in the infrastructure itself. >> reporter: the target did not go quietly. there was a gunfight, even hand-to-hand fighting. abu sayyaf was killed along with other fighters. >> if you take out the money man, it can dent the organization's capability to do things. >> reporter: the u.s. commandos left under fire, but unharmed taking with them abu's wife umm sayyaf. they freed a yazidi woman held by the couple as a slave. it was a bold a risky operation, and could yield intelligence. but it is unlikely to change the course of the war on isis. this week, the group attacked the center of the iraqi city of ramadi with car bombs and took control of a government compound. isis is fighting its way into the historic syrian city threatening to destroy it the way it has other historic

not much is known about abu sayyaf. he was considered a top isis money man who managed isis' oil and gas income and he was personally close to the isis leader abu bakr al-baghdadi. but isis is celebrating a major victory in iraq which may be a bigger problem here. joining us from london, nbc news chief global correspondent bill neely. bill what's the significance of the fall of ramadi? >> good morning, mika. i think the news from ramadi somewhat trumps that from syria. ramadi is a disaster in three part s secondly, it's the manner of the defeat. iraq's security forces proving how utterly incompetent they can be. by all accounts, their retreat from ramadi was complete chaos. thirdly, the consequences. not just that isis has the momentum and weapons and that it's 70 miles or closer from baghdad but also the prospect that shi'a militia some of them iranian backed, are the only way that ramadi can be got back into goth hands. that raises all sorts of prospects include willing the u.s. continue bombing ramadi in support of i

i mean one of the targets died this abu sayyaf. supposely in charge of lydly in charge of selling oil and gas on the black market. there are others in charge of doing that. they've taken his wife. we don't know what her real name is. abu sayyaf isn't his real name right? >> right. >> they are getting set to interrogate her. will she be willing to impart information? >> she eventually will be willing. one thing i say is if someone has never been in a firefight before and then we find this with people that we interview is that once they go through something like that they are already somewhat broken down especially when there's been tragedy around them and someone has gotten shot that they were with. you take them out of the battlefield and put them into a situation they never have been into that you're handling. we're not talking about using torture on people. we're talking about interrogation and interviewing. you can fluctuate the whole system they're in whatever is most effective in in order toorder to get information out of them

abu sayyaf was killed along with a dozen or more isis fighters. u.s. commandos left unharmed taking with them abu sayyaf's wife known as umm sayyaf. u.s. officials alem she helped manage hostages taken by isis. this operation is unlikely to change the course of the overall war against isis but it does send a very strong message to the group that even its safe havens respect entirely safe. back to you. >> richard engel for us this morning. richard, thank you. >>> chuck todd is moderator of "meet the press" and joins us from washington. chuck, good morning. >> good morning, erica. >> so we see this sort of mixed bag when you look at the battle against isis this week. so we have all the details that richard just gave us of course on this successful raid in syria but then at the same time the key iraqi city of ramadi fell privately. how is the obama administration characterizing this fight against isis? >> well look it is -- it is i think in this case they would like to say it is two steps forward and one step back in this case. look the importance of the

officials abu sayyaf say was a known associate of the group's leader. his wife was captured and being questioned. >>> pope francis canonized two 19th century nuns who lived in palestine. the canonization tombs at the vatican. palestinian president and 2,000 christians were there in support. the ceremony comes a few days after the vatican formally recognized palestinian state hood florida treaty. >>> a new skin care treatment has got people talking the main ingredient, chicken soup. you can try it out for yourself. >>> star wars fans in london we'll take you to a exhibit that's recreating the film's most iconic scenes. >>> chris sowers has the exclusive accuweather seven-day forecast including what it looks like for memorial day weekend when "action news" continues. >> when twom -- two women at columbia university introduced themselves in the first day of writing class. they found out they had a lot more in question. they were asking each other routine questions what's your major and where you from. katie was suspicious, she had been searching for her lo

special ops forces raid that took out abu sayyaf. delta force commandos conducted the raid in an intensifier fight that killed sayyaf and about 12 other isis fighters. the mission was only the second known ground operation ever to take place in syria. this was senator dianne feinstein's assessment of the raid's results. >> this was i think a picture perfect raid. everything went according to plan. but the demise of the principal obviously took place when the aim was to capture. >> joining me now msnbc military analyst he colonel jack jacobs. with a welcome to you as always. explain why this mission is being hailed as a success despite the fact that sayyaf was killed. >> we wanted to get him to be sure, but we mostly wanted to get his information. his computers, all the information about the oil flows, cash flows, banking information. it would have been nice to be able to interrogate him but getting the information was the most important thing and that's why we conducted a raid to try to get him and the information rather than flying

it's not just abu sayyaf that we're focused on. there were four important leaders there, when means they were in some sort of meeting. one was a deputy war minister. the kind of information you're going to get from abu sayyaf includes who is smuggling out the black market and who they are doing business with. if the u.s. follows this up and really punishes e those individuals, it could either do significant damage to isis's ability to sell oil or could also raise the cost for isis of doing this such that they aren't able to get the same kind of money they are used to. >> follow the money and often you wind up getting where you want to be. general, play on the irony that it will be a woman, the wife here that isis is so intent on degrading and demeaning their position but the wife may wind up being the key to the intel. tell us about that. >> i think she probably will be. the fact that abu sayyaf is gone is probably good news but what the special operators were able to take out is significant intelligence that's going to lead to wha

two days after the death of a senior leader, abu sayyaf. he was killed friday night during a raid by u.s. commando in syria. he was believed to be one of i.s.i.l.'s top tonned raisers. he was in charge of selling oil and gas on the black market. commanders took his wife into custody and seized documents. the operation could yield a lot of significant information. >> the real value here is taking a guy off the battlefield who is incredibly important to the organization to funding it to running it. close to the senior leadership to abu bakr al-baghdadi. taking him off the field. very important. it would have been great to take him alive. his wife worked closely and will be able to tell us allot >>> i.s.i.l. lost a quarter of territory it controlled in iraq. joining us to discuss the fall of ramadi is mark lyons, an al jazeera security contributor, thank you for joining us. abu sayyaf was killed in a u.s. trade. then we learnt that i.s.i.l. has taken control. they are saying that it's too early to tell. are you buying that? >> no i'm not. comm

also abu sayyaf's wife also captured in under u.s. military control right now and is being questioned and she is said to be involved in the human trafficking operations that isis has been involve ared in including sex slavery. those u.s. commandos also were able to capture, they were able to rescue a young yisidi woman enslaved by these people the sayyafs. the command others got out unscathed. a dangerous and risk operation but a success. the critical fight continues in ramadi and remains a very dire situation there. so basically, kelly, we're waiting to see when this ground offensive is going to be launched by the iraqi military forces and will they gain and take back any ground from isis there? kelly? >> thank you. keep us updated. john hutty. >> reporter: will do. >>> malt pell people reporting some kind of object hit their train in the same general time and area as the amtrak train that derailed tuesday. the fbi is involve ared and checking damp to the windshield of the amtrak train as you can see there. the crash killed eight peo

they got abu sayyaf. blasted that out there. this was terrific operation and it was but at the same time they completely ignored basically ramadi and thedown fall of that major important point in iraq. and now it is coming back to get them because i think people are look at them, saying you're being disinagainstous where this is going. strategy at this stage, of course it will take a long time as josh earnest said. the strategy is essentially stalemate. we're not getting into the fight in an aggressive manner. melissa: isis released hundreds of prisoners. a hundred jihadis. they now control a third of iraq. how bad are those two pieces information? >> it is bad when you think of ramadi and mosul and rest of the territory into syria they have a physical manifestation of caliphate this is a serious problem. look at all the various pieces including iran's leverage in iraq. we like to think we're influencing events. we're not really influencing events. we certainly don't have control over iran and shiite militias that will have reta