American military forces carried out a strike in Syria which killed an al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist directly linked to a Dec. 13 ISIS attack which killed two Iowa National Guardsmen and one U.S. civilian in the country, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Saturday.
The Friday strike was the third CENTCOM executed as part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which the Department of War (DOW) combatant command launched in retaliation for the ambush which killed Guardsmen Sgts. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and William Nathaniel Howard, as well as their interpreter. CENTCOM previously carried out attacks against ISIS targets in Syria on both Dec. 19, 2025 and Jan. 10.
CENTCOM called the deceased terrorist, Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, an “experienced” al-Qaeda affiliate leader “who plotted attacks and was directly connected with the ISIS gunman” who killed Torres-Tovar and Howard, according to a press release.
“The death of a terrorist operative linked the death of three Americans demonstrates our resolve in pursuing terrorists who attack our forces,” CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in the release.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 17, 2026
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“There is no safe place for those who conduct, plot, or inspire attacks on American citizens and our warfighters,” the commander emphasized. “We will find you.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth replied to CENTCOM’s X post announcing the strike, writing, “We will never forget, and never relent,” the same message he posted to the platform in response to the DOW’s strike the prior week.
Operation Hawkeye Strike has thus far resulted in “U.S. and partner forces hitting more than 100 ISIS infrastructure and weapons site targets with over 200 precision munitions,” CENTCOM’s press release notes.
“Additionally, U.S. and partner forces have captured more than 300 ISIS operatives and killed over 20 across Syria during the past year, removing terrorists who posed a direct threat to the United States and regional security,” the release continues.
When reached for comment by the Daily Caller News Foundation, CENTCOM said it had nothing to provide beyond its Saturday press release.
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