US says it killed al-Qaeda-affiliated leader tied to deadly Syria ambush

CENTCOM says the strike in northwest Syria on Friday killed a man tied to the December attack that killed US troops and an interpreter.Published On 17 Jan 2026The United States says an air strike in northwestern Syria has killed an al-Qaeda-affiliated leader who had ties to an ISIL (ISIS) member involved in a deadly ambush of US forces last month.The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday that an air strike a day earlier killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, who was “directly connected with the ISIS gunman who killed and injured American and Syrian personnel” in mid-December.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump says US has launched large-scale attacks on ISIL in Syrialist 2 of 3How many countries has Trump bombed in 2025?list 3 of 3Photos: Syrian army enters Deir Hafer after SDF withdrawalend of list“There is no safe place for those who conduct, plot, or inspire attacks on American citizens and our warfighters. We will find you,” CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper said in a statement.Two US soldiers and a military interpreter were killed in the ISIL ambush in the Syrian city of Palmyra on December 13.Since then, the US has carried out a series of large-scale strikes in Syria in what it says is a response to the deadly attack on US forces.On Saturday, CENTCOM said US forces and their partners had struck more than 100 ISIL “infrastructure and weapons” sites since the US military launched its retaliatory operation in December.“Additionally, US and partner forces have captured more than 300 ISIS operatives and killed over 20 across Syria during the past year,” it said.US President Donald Trump had promised to inflict significant damage on those responsible for the deadly attack on US troops.“I can tell you, in Syria, there will be a lot of big damage done to the people that did it,” Trump said on December 13.