Syria: US Announces Killing of Al-Qaeda Leader

The US armed forces announced they killed an Al-Qaeda-linked leader in a raid in northwestern Syria. The operation was in retaliation for the December attack that killed three Americans.

The raid took place on Friday, a week after US strikes against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria, also in retaliation for an ambush that resulted in the death of two soldiers and an interpreter.

According to CENTCOM, the man killed, Bilal Hassan al-Jassim, was an experienced terrorist leader who planned attacks and was directly linked to the ISIS terrorist responsible for the December attack in Palmyra.

The December 13 attack was the first of its kind since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

The US had announced previous strikes against ISIS positions with the support of Jordan, while Britain and France also carried out attacks to prevent the resurgence of Daesh.

The Pentagon announced in April that the US was halving the number of its troops in Syria.

Source: ΑΠΕ ΜΠΕ