The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word IRRUPTED
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
I
R
R
U
P
T
E
D
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "carried out surprise raid" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case carried out surprise raid = irrupted.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does IRRUPTED mean?
IRRUPTED verb- To break into.
- To enter forcibly or uninvited.
- To rapidly increase or intensify.