An “experienced terrorist leader” with ties to al Qaeda has been killed in US strikes, after an Islamic State ambush last month left three Americans dead.
Bilal Hasan al Jasim had direct links to the ambush, which killed two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Syria, according to officials.
Now he too has been killed in a third round of retaliatory strikes in Syria, which targeted the northwest of the country on Friday.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) described Jasim as “an experienced terrorist leader who plotted attacks and was directly connected” to the 13 December ambush.
“The death of a terrorist operative linked to the deaths of three Americans demonstrates our resolve in pursuing terrorists who attack our forces,” said Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander.
“There is no safe place for those who conduct, plot, or inspire attacks on American citizens and our warfighters. We will find you.”
Defence secretary Pete Hegseth, in a post on X, added: “We will never forget, and never relent”.
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The ambush last month killed Sgt Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Sgt William Nathaniel Howard and civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat.
In the aftermath, Donald Trump launched an operation against “ISIS thugs” who were regrouping after Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad was deposed in December 2024.
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The US president emphasised that American forces were fighting alongside Syrian troops, and that Syrian president Ahmed al Sharaa was “extremely angry” about the ambush.
So far, the US military claims to have hit more than 100 ISIS targets in Syria.
