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The United States has confirmed it killed a top al-Qaeda-affiliated leader who was directly connected to the ISIS gunman responsible for a deadly ambush that claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a US interpreter in Syria.
Some shit you should know before you dig in: Back in December 2025, a deadly ambush in Palmyra, Syria, claimed the lives of two US Army soldiers (Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard) and an American military interpreter. The attack occurred on December 13 and also left three other US service members injured. According to US Central Command, the ambush was carried out by an ISIS gunman who was also serving in the Syrian military at the time.
What’s going on now: In a notable development, US Central Command confirmed that a precision airstrike conducted on January 16 in northwest Syria killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, a high-ranking al-Qaeda-affiliated leader. Al-Jasim was reportedly “directly connected with the ISIS gunman who killed and injured American and Syrian personnel” during the December 13 ambush in Palmyra. CENTCOM described him as an “experienced terrorist leader” who had plotted attacks and maintained operational ties to the gunman responsible for the deaths of two US soldiers and an American interpreter.
“The death of a terrorist operative linked to the deaths of three Americans demonstrates our resolve in pursuing terrorists who attack our forces,” said CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper. “There is no safe place for those who conduct, plot, or inspire attacks on American citizens and our warfighters. We will find you.”
The strike was part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, a large-scale military campaign launched in response to the December attack. In retaliation, the US began targeting ISIS strongholds across Syria, initially striking more than 70 targets as of December 19, and later expanding the operation to more than 100 targets.
