Tampa, Florida, 18 January (H.S.): U.S. Central Command announced on Saturday that American forces conducted a lethal airstrike on Friday, January 16, in northwestern Syria, eliminating Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist leader directly linked to the Islamic State gunman responsible for ambushing and killing three Americans on December 13, 2025.
Retaliatory Operation Targets Post-Assad Militant Resurgence
CENTCOM identified al-Jasim as a seasoned operative who orchestrated attacks and maintained operational ties to the ISIS assailant in the Palmyra incident, which claimed the lives of U.S. service members Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, and civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat, while wounding other American and Syrian personnel. Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, affirmed the strike underscores unwavering commitment to avenging fallen warfighters, declaring no sanctuary exists for those plotting against U.S. citizens.
This marks the third wave of Operation Hawkeye Strike—launched post-ambush by President Trump—having neutralized over 100 ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites with 200 precision munitions, alongside 25 militants captured or killed in December missions.
Syria's Fragile Transition Amplifies Jihadist Threats
The operation unfolds against Syria's post-Bashar al-Assad landscape, where President Ahmed al-Sharaa (formerly Abu Mohammed al-Jolani) consolidated power after his rebel coalition ousted the regime in December 2024, ending 13 years of civil war. Though ISIS wanes, it persists via assaults on Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeast, exploiting transitional vacuums as U.S. troops expand coalitions with local security amid expanded basing.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
