This picture supplied by the U.S. Air Drive exhibits a U.S. Airman getting ready an A-10 Thunderbolt II for flight from a base within the U.S. Central Command space of accountability, on Dec. 19, 2025, in assist of Operation Hawkeye Strike.
AP/U.S. Air Drive/DVIDS through AP
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AP/U.S. Air Drive/DVIDS through AP
WASHINGTON — A 3rd spherical of retaliatory strikes by the U.S. in Syria resulted within the demise of an Al-Qaeda-affiliated chief, who officers say had a direct tie to the Islamic State member accountable for final month’s ambush that killed two U.S. troopers and one American civilian interpreter within the nation.
U.S. Central Command introduced that the strike in northwest Syria on Friday killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, who they declare was “an experienced terrorist leader who plotted attacks and was directly connected” to the Dec. 13 assault that killed Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard and civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat.
“The death of a terrorist operative linked to the deaths of three Americans demonstrates our resolve in pursuing terrorists who attack our forces,” Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, stated in a press release. “There is no safe place for those who conduct, plot, or inspire attacks on American citizens and our warfighters. We will find you.”
It was the newest strike as a part of a broader U.S. operation ordered by President Trump following the ambush of the Individuals to focus on “ISIS thugs” making an attempt to regroup after the ouster of autocratic chief Bashar Assad a yr in the past.
The Republican president has pressured that Syria was combating alongside American troops, because the U.S. army is increasing its cooperation with safety forces as a part of a coalition combating the militant group. He added on the time that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa was “extremely angry and disturbed by this attack.”
CENTCOM stated that the operation, titled “Hawkeye Strike,” has resulted in U.S. and companions like Jordan and Syria concentrating on greater than 100 Islamic State infrastructure and weapons web site targets.
