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Widow Of Islamic State Finance Chief Turned Over To Iraqi Kurds


The United States handed over to Iraqi authorities the widow of a senior Islamic State leader who was captured by U.S. forces in May, the Pentagon announced August 6.

Nasrin As'ad Ibrahim -- also known as Umm Sayyaf -- was the wife of Abu Sayyaf, who was alleged to be the jihadist group's top financier and who was killed in a rare U.S. special forces raid in Syria in May.

She is now being held by the interior ministry of Iraq's autonomous province of Kurdistan, the Pentagon said, calling the transfer "appropriate with respect to legal, diplomatic, intelligence, security, and law enforcement considerations."

While in U.S. custody in the Kurish city of Irbil, Umm Sayyaf was cooperative and provided a "trove" of intelligence about IS operations, U.S. officials said.

A young Yezidi woman held as a slave by the couple was freed after the raid, they said, adding that U.S. forces found valuable looted Iraqi historical artifacts at the couple's home.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP

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