Documents, 2 captives from raid could be intel windfall

WASHINGTON — Two captured Islamic State fighters and documents taken from a compound where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed over the weekend could produce a trove of information for the U.S. military and intelligence agencies, current and former officials say.

Officials said the intelligence is expected to underscore assessments that al-Baghdadi no longer exercised direct operational control over the group. Officials cautioned that the Pentagon, the CIA and other intelligence agencies were still conducting a preliminary review of the documents and electronic records.

The intelligence material commandos seized from the compound in northwest Syria, where al-Baghdadi was hiding, is likely to contain new details about the group’s operations.

But the officials said they did not expect to find intelligence that would quickly generate follow-up strikes on the Islamic State.

The Islamic State kept records on its brutal rule in Iraq and Syria, and some former intelligence officials suggested al-Baghdadi might have left behind lists of deputies, couriers, contacts and other information that would be useful to U.S. counterterrorism officials.

The two prisoners seized by Delta Force commandos were in American custody, Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Monday, but he declined to give details.

If the Trump administration follows its previous practice with captured Islamic State fighters, the men will eventually be turned over to the Iraqi government for prosecution.