US Military Claims to Have Killed Al Qaeda Affiliate in Northwest Syria
A targeted US strike in northwest Syria on Friday has resulted in the death of Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, an experienced terrorist leader who was allegedly responsible for planning attacks and was directly linked to an ISIS shooter who ambushed and killed three American service members last month.
According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), al-Jasim's involvement with the attacker, who carried out a deadly ambush in Palmyra, Syria on December 13, has now been confirmed. Two US service members and an American interpreter were among those killed in the attack, while several others were injured.
The revelation comes as President Donald Trump vowed retaliation following the incident, describing it as "an ISIS attack against the US". Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier stated that partner forces had taken out the individual responsible for the attack.
CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper hailed the strike as a demonstration of the military's resolve in pursuing terrorists who target American forces. "There is no safe place for those who conduct, plot, or inspire attacks on American citizens and our warfighters," he said, adding that the US will continue to hunt down such individuals.
The operation dubbed Hawkeye Strike has seen US and partner forces launch large-scale strikes in Syria over the past few weeks, targeting over 100 ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites with more than 200 precision munitions. In addition to these strikes, the US and its partners have captured over 300 ISIS operatives and killed more than 20 since last year, according to CENTCOM.
A targeted US strike in northwest Syria on Friday has resulted in the death of Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, an experienced terrorist leader who was allegedly responsible for planning attacks and was directly linked to an ISIS shooter who ambushed and killed three American service members last month.
According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), al-Jasim's involvement with the attacker, who carried out a deadly ambush in Palmyra, Syria on December 13, has now been confirmed. Two US service members and an American interpreter were among those killed in the attack, while several others were injured.
The revelation comes as President Donald Trump vowed retaliation following the incident, describing it as "an ISIS attack against the US". Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier stated that partner forces had taken out the individual responsible for the attack.
CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper hailed the strike as a demonstration of the military's resolve in pursuing terrorists who target American forces. "There is no safe place for those who conduct, plot, or inspire attacks on American citizens and our warfighters," he said, adding that the US will continue to hunt down such individuals.
The operation dubbed Hawkeye Strike has seen US and partner forces launch large-scale strikes in Syria over the past few weeks, targeting over 100 ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites with more than 200 precision munitions. In addition to these strikes, the US and its partners have captured over 300 ISIS operatives and killed more than 20 since last year, according to CENTCOM.
Just found out about that crazy strike in Syria that took down Bilal Hasan al-Jasim. Like, this guy was a big deal for ISIS - allegedly planned some attacks and had a direct connection to that US soldier who got ambushed last month 
. It's wild that they were able to track him down like that. The whole situation is pretty tense right now with Trump talking about retaliation. 
But I guess it's good that the military was able to take action. Those 3 American service members and the interpreter who got killed last month are still super fresh in everyone's minds 
. It's crazy how these strikes are happening all over Syria - like, over 200 precision munitions have been used so far 
. And what about the 100+ innocent ppl caught in the crossfire? Just another day, another death toll 
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just read about this new strike in Syria... sounds like they got someone who was involved in a pretty bad attack that hurt some American service members 
. I mean, Bilal Hasan al-Jasim was supposed to be some kinda big deal for Al Qaeda, but at what cost? It sounds like we're just creating more victims 
. Like, what's the point of naming every single operation? It's just gonna be a bunch of numbers with no context or transparency. And what's up with all these precision munitions? Sounds like some fancy tech to me 
. I mean, can't they just tell us if it worked or not? Is that too much to ask?
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. So they kill this guy Bilal Hasan al-Jasim who was supposedly behind some attacks but it feels like we're just running around in circles 
. Like how many more people are gonna get killed because of these strikes? And for what? So the US can say they've taken out another 'terrorist' leader? I mean, can't they see that just making enemies is not solving anything 
.
. It's all just about politics and making an example out of someone.
. Like what are they even hoping to achieve? They're just piling up more bodies and creating more enemies