US military forces on Friday killed the leader of an al-Qaeda affiliate, identified as Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, linked to the Islamic State attack on Americans in Syria last month, the US Central Command said in a statement on Saturday.
Central Command said Bilal Hasan al-Jasim had “direct links” to the ISIS gunman who killed and wounded UD and Syria personnel on Dec. 13 in Palmyra, Syria.
“The death of a terrorist operative linked to the deaths of three Americans demonstrates our determination to pursue terrorists who attack our forces,” Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said in a statement.
“There is no safe place for those who lead, plan or inspire attacks on American citizens and our warfighters. We will find you,” he added.
U.S. forces have been conducting strikes in Syria since the Dec. 13 attack, with the U.S. military saying it has hit more than 100 ISIS targets.
CENTCOM said it launched large-scale strikes in Syria in response to the Dec. 13 attack. The operation, dubbed Hawkeye Strike, resulted in US and partner forces hitting more than 100 ISIS infrastructure and weapons targets with more than 200 precision munitions.
“In addition, US and partner forces have captured more than 300 ISIS operatives and killed more than 20 in Syria over the past year, eliminating terrorists who posed a direct threat to the United States and regional security,” CENTCOM said.
“We will never forget and we will never back down,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in an X post that included Centcom’s statement.
Who was Bilal Hasan al-Jasim?
US Central Command said in a statement that tha Bilal Hasan al-Jasim was an experienced terrorist leader who planned attacks and was directly linked to the ISIS gunman who killed and wounded US and Syrian personnel in Palmyra, Syria, last month.