President Barack Obama's order for U.S. commandos to target an Islamic State commander in Syria was part of an evolving strategy to disrupt the militant group, which has proven resilient to airstrikes intended to break its grip on parts of the Middle East.
The raid seized on a rare opportunity to act on real-time intelligence. A man the U.S. called Abu Sayyaf — a common nom de guerre in the Arab world — who was identified as a leader of the group's oil, gas and financial operations was killed, along with about a dozen other militants, with no U.S. casualties, administration officials said.
U.S. officials and analysts said the raid may yield a rich body of intelligence to help unravel the financing, communications and personnel behind Islamic State. The assault suggests greater risk-taking mode by an administration leery of protracted ground combat in Iraq or Syria, and offers reassurances to allies who have questioned Obama's resolve to eliminate one of the region's most destabilizing forces.