Overview
- CENTCOM said a Jan. 16 strike in northwest Syria killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, an al-Qaeda-affiliated figure described as an experienced terrorist leader.
- U.S. officials said al-Jasim had direct ties to the ISIS gunman who killed Sgts. William Nathaniel Howard and Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat in Palmyra on Dec. 13.
- The operation was characterized by officials as the third round of retaliatory strikes following the December ambush.
- CENTCOM reports Hawkeye Strike has hit more than 100 ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites with over 200 precision munitions and led to the capture of 300-plus ISIS operatives and more than 20 killed in Syria over the past year.
- Analysts note ISIS has not claimed responsibility for the Dec. 13 attack and the U.S. has not publicly released direct evidence linking ISIS or al-Qaeda to the ambush.