A bipartisan group of lawmakers responded to the successful raid that brought down Abu Sayyaf, a senior ISIS leader. Sayyaf was killed Friday during an anti-ISIS military operation by U.S. forces in eastern Syria.
Vice Chair of the Intelligence Committee, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, described the raid as “picture perfect,” during a Sunday appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”
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“I believe that if we’re not going to put troops on the ground, then we’ve got to use our Special Operations Forces to go in and collect intelligence; also be able to capture people that might be able to be helpful,” she said.
Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who joined Sen. Feinstein on the same show also characterized the mission as “very successful.” Still, McConnell, who has often criticized the president, said the administration had “fallen down” on capture and interrogation.
Abu Sayyaf was in charge of overseeing ISIS’s oil and gas operations, a key source of income for the militant group. Sayyaf’s wife, Umm Sayyaf, who is also considered to be an ISIS operative, was taken into custody and is currently being held in Iraq. She is accused of being “directly complicit in (ISIS) activities, specifically human trafficking,” an official told NBC News.
American Delta Force commandos took off from northern Iraq in Blackhawk helicopters and Osprey aircraft, according to NBC News.
Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., a former SEAL Team Six commander, also spoke on the raid that brought down Sayyaf, telling CNN on Sunday that while the ISIS leader wasn’t in the “top 10” in terms of ranking, it would still be “enormously helpful” to the U.S.
And Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who also appeared on CNN, characterized the raid as a “very daring operation,” also said it should be commended “unequivocally.”
