US Kills Al‑Qaeda Leader Linked to Syria Ambush

The US has killed an Al-Qaeda leader linked to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist who killed two American soldiers and an interpreter in a deadly ambush last month.

Bilal Hasan al-Jasim was killed by a strike in north-west Syria on Friday, according to US Central Command (Centcom).

Hasan al-Jasim was an “experienced terrorist leader” who plotted attacks, according to the US agency. He was directly connected with the gunman who killed and injured US and Syrian personnel in an attack in Palmyra, Syria on Dec 13.

“The death of a terrorist operative linked to the deaths of three Americans demonstrates our resolve in pursuing terrorists who attack our forces,” said Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of Centcom.

“There is no safe place for those who conduct, plot or inspire attacks on American citizens and our warfighters. We will find you.”

The US has launched a series of strikes, called Hawkeye Strike, in Syria in response to the December attack. As part of this the US and its allies have hit more than 100 IS infrastructure and weapons site targets with over 200 precision munitions.

The National Guard troops killed in Syria last month were Sgt Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Sgt William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa, according to the US army.

Ayad Mansoor Sakat, of Macomb, Michigan, a US civilian working as an interpreter, was also killed.

In the days after the attack the US launched air strikes in Syria, killing at least five IS terrorists.

A cell leader was among those killed in the operation, which Donald Trump described as a “very serious retaliation” for the ambush.

A lone IS gunman carried out the attack on Dec 13 in Palmyra, which is home to Unesco-listed ancient ruins and was once controlled by jihadists.

It was the first such incident since the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, and Syrian authorities said the perpetrator was a security forces member who was due to be fired for his “extremist Islamist ideas”.

Centcom said more than 300 IS operatives had been captured and more than 20 killed in Syria over the past year.