A senior Daesh figure, Abdurakhmon Uzbeki, was killed during a ground assault near Mayadin, in Syria, earlier this month, the U.S Central Command confirmed on Saturday.

According to a spokesman for the U.S Central Command Colonel John Thomas, the U.S carried out a secret military ground operation where they killed Uzbeki, who is believed to be a close associate of Daesh leader Abu Bakr-al-Baghdadi.

Uzbeki was linked to the Turkish nightclub attack on New Year’s Eve that left 39 people dead.

The attacker opened fire with an automatic rifle, throwing stun grenades to allow himself to reload and then shoot the wounded on the ground. Among those killed in the attack were Turks and visitors from several Arab nations, India and Canada.

“We have clearly linked him with the New Year’s Eve Istanbul bombing,” Thomas said.