US kills ‘terrorist’ linked to attack on Iowa troops in Syria

U.S. military forces on Jan. 16, killed an al Qaeda affiliate leader linked to an Islamic State attack on Iowa National Guard soldiers in Syria last month, U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Jan. 17.

Bilal Hasan al-Jasim had “direct ties” to an ISIS gunman who killed and injured U.S. and Syrian personnel on Dec. 13 in Palmyra, Syria, Central Command said.

Iowa National Guard Staff Sgt. William Nathaniel “Nate” Howard of Marshalltown and Staff Sgt. Edgar Torres-Tovar of Des Moines were killed in the attack. They were serving as part of ongoing federal counter-ISIS and counterterrorism missions.

Three other Iowa National Guard soldiers were wounded in the Dec. 13 ambush by a suspected “lone ISIS gunman.” Two were medically evacuated and treated for serious injuries, while a third sustained minor injuries and was treated locally. All three survived.

“The death of a terrorist operative linked to the deaths of three Americans demonstrates our resolve in pursuing terrorists who attack our forces,” said Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, in a statement.

Since the Dec. 13 attack, U.S. forces have been conducting strikes in Syria, with the U.S. military saying it has hit more than 100 ISIS targets.

“We will never forget, and never relent,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in an X post that included Centcom’s statement.

U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, who represents the central Iowa communities where the two soldiers lived, called the attack “cowardly.”

“I’m grateful to the warfighters who carried their mission forward and delivered justice,” he wrote in a social media post. “America will never stop hunting those who harm our servicemembers.”

Des Moines Register reporter Nick El Hajj contributed to this report.