New From CENTCOM: Al-Qaeda Leader Behind U.S. Ambush by ISIS in Syria Eliminated
Written by admin on January 18, 2026
On Saturday, we learned from the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) that an Al-Qaeda affiliate who was in part responsible for the attack last December, which resulted in the deaths of two American service members and an interpreter, has been located in Syria and removed from play. Permanently.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 17, 2026
The CENTCOM release states:
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted a strike in northwest Syria on Jan. 16, that resulted in the death of a leader affiliated with Al-Qaeda who had direct ties to an ISIS terrorist responsible for an ambush which killed two U.S. service members and an American interpreter on Dec. 13, 2025.
Bilal Hasan al-Jasim was an experienced terrorist leader who plotted attacks and was directly connected with the ISIS gunman who killed and injured American and Syrian personnel last month in Palmyra, Syria.
It’s not stated how the strike was carried out, but a quick look at past such incidents would tend to point to an airstrike, especially since the United States has absolutely unbeatable air superiority in this part of the world. Bilal Hasan al-Jasim’s GPS coordinates are now “over here,” and “over there.”
“The death of a terrorist operative linked to the deaths of three Americans demonstrates our resolve in pursuing terrorists who attack our forces,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. “There is no safe place for those who conduct, plot, or inspire attacks on American citizens and our warfighters. We will find you.”
CENTCOM launched large-scale strikes in Syria in response to the Dec. 13 attack. The operation, dubbed Hawkeye Strike, resulted in U.S. and partner forces hitting more than 100 ISIS infrastructure and weapons site targets with over 200 precision munitions.
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.
Detonating terrorists is always a good thing to do, but it’s likewise good to see that many are captured. There’s no omerta among these goblins. When caught, they frequently sing like dusty, dirty little birds. Every one of them is an intelligence asset that could possibly reveal the location of the next-higher guy on the chain. We’ve removed quite a few of the higher-ups from the field, often with high explosives or a Ginsu missile. We have no way of knowing, of course, nor should CENTCOM reveal any sources, but it wouldn’t be surprising at all to learn this was the case.
Read More: U.S. Hits ISIS Targets in New Syria Strike Amid Ongoing Threats
So far, the new Syrian government has been very amenable to having the United States come in and change the pronouns of these ISIS and Al-Qaeda goblins to “was” and “were,” but we shouldn’t count on this being the case forever. This remains a very volatile part of the world, wherein today’s best friend may be tomorrow’s bitter enemy.
For now, though, Central Command has (almost certainly) once again proven one of my favorite military aphorisms: There is no problem that cannot be solved with the suitable application of high explosives.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s leadership, the warrior ethos is coming back to America’s military.
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