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Saturday, January 17, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Saturday, January 17, 2026
US kills al-Qaeda affiliate leader tied to December attack in Syria, CENTCOM says
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Illustration: US soldiers patrol an area in the town of Tal Hamis, southeast of the city of Qameshli in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh governorate, on January 24, 2024. (Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
US military forces yesterday killed an al-Qaeda affiliate leader linked to an Islamic State attack on Americans in Syria last month, US Central Command says in a statement.
Bilal Hasan al-Jasim had “direct ties” to an ISIS gunman who killed and injured US and Syrian personnel on December 13 in Palmyra, Syria, Central Command says.
“The death of a terrorist operative linked to the deaths of three Americans demonstrates our resolve in pursuing terrorists who attack our forces,” says Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, in a statement.
Since the December 13 attack, US forces have been conducting strikes in Syria, with the US military saying it has hit more than 100 ISIS targets.
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