The United States Central Command on Friday claimed that a senior Islamic State leader, believed to have played a key role in the attack on a nightclub in Turkey on New Year’s Eve, was killed in a military strike in Syria two weeks ago. US forces killed Abdurakhmon Uzbeki in a raid near Mayadin in Deir Ezzor province on April 6, Chief Spokesperson for the US Central Command Colonel John Thomas said, according to CNN.

Uzbeki was believed to have been a “close associate” of the Islamic State group’s chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. “He was known to interact with him in various ways over time,” Colonel Thomas said, though he did not reveal details about the mission. “It was a ground operation. I think that’s all we’re willing to say about that,” he added, according to BBC.

The spokesperson said the Islamic State commando was targeted for his role in hatching global terrorist attacks for the extremist group. “He facilitated the movement of ISIS foreign terror fighters and funds,” Thomas said, according to The New York Times.

The main suspect in the Istanbul nightclub shooting had been arrested on January 17. The assailant had been identified as Uzbek national Abdulkadir Masharipov. On New Year’s Eve, the attacker – dressed as Santa Claus – had fired indiscriminately at patrons at Reina nightclub, leaving 39 dead and several others injured. The Islamic State group had claimed responsibility for the carnage, saying it was carried out attack to avenge deaths in Syria at the hands of Turkish military forces.