Overview
- U.S. Central Command said an airstrike on Jan. 16/17 in northwest Syria killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim.
- The military described al-Jasim as an experienced operative with direct ties to the ISIS gunman who killed two U.S. soldiers and a U.S. interpreter near Palmyra on Dec. 13.
- The strike is the latest in a series of reprisals under Operation Hawkeye Strike launched after the December ambush.
- Since Dec. 13, U.S. forces and partners including Jordan and local Syrian units have hit more than 100 ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites with roughly 200 precision munitions.
- CENTCOM identified al-Jasim as Al Qaeda–affiliated but has not publicly detailed how he was connected to ISIS or his specific role in the attack.