ISIS operative linked to Istanbul bombing has been killed, Pentagon says

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US confirms death of ISIS terrorist Abdurakhmon Uzbeki

State Department official reports that a U.S. operation led to his death in eastern Syria

U.S. forces in Syria have killed a top  Islamic State operative who played a key role in the New Year’s Eve attack on an Istanbul nightclub, the Pentagon said on Friday.

Abdurakhmon Uzbeki was a “close associate” of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the ISIS terror network.

“Confirmed: death of senior #ISIS terrorist & #Baghdadi associate via US military operation near Mayadin, #Syria. We will reach u anywhere,” Brett McGurk, Special Presidential Envoy for Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, said on Twitter.

Central Command spokesman, Col. John Thomas, said Uzbeki was killed in a ground operation on April 6.

Thomas said Uzbeki helped ISIS move foreign fighters and funds, and played a key role in plotting terror attacks.

Thomas didn't provide details on Uzbeki's role in the Istanbul attack, in which a gunman opened fire inside a crowded nightclub. Dozens of people were wounded.

Turkish authorities nabbed the suspected gunman, an Uzbek national, in Istanbul a week later.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.