The U.S. carried out another retaliatory strike in Syria, and the military said it killed an Al-Qaeda-affiliated leader in the country’s northwest. The AP reported that the strike was part of a third round of retaliatory strikes by the United States in Syria, following an ambush in December that killed three Americans.
The U.S. said the Friday strike killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, who CENTCOM identified as “an experienced terrorist leader who plotted attacks and was directly connected” to the Dec. 13 attack. Officials said al-Jasim had a direct tie to the Islamic State member responsible for that ambush, which killed Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard and civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat.
In a statement, Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command, tied the strike to what he described as the U.S. response to attacks on American forces. Cooper said, “The death of a terrorist operative linked to the deaths of three Americans demonstrates our resolve in pursuing terrorists who attack our forces,” adding that, “There is no safe place for those who conduct, plot, or inspire attacks on American citizens and our warfighters. We will find you.”
The latest strike comes as part of a broader U.S. operation ordered by President Donald Trump after the ambush, the AP reported. Trump, the AP said, emphasized that Syria was fighting alongside American troops and pointed to the U.S. expanding cooperation with security forces as part of a coalition fighting the militant group.
The AP also reported that Trump said at the time of the ambush that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa was “extremely angry and disturbed by this attack.” The report said the operation was aimed at “ISIS thugs” trying to regroup after the ouster of autocratic leader Bashar Assad a year earlier.
CENTCOM said the operation, titled “Hawkeye Strike,” involved U.S. and partner targeting of Islamic State infrastructure and weapons sites. The AP reported that CENTCOM said the operation resulted in targeting more than 100 Islamic State infrastructure and weapons site targets, with partners including Jordan and Syria.