According to an internal review conducted by the Pentagon, a civilian, rather than the intended target, was killed in a U.S. drone strike that took place in northwest Syria a year ago today. The strike had been aimed at an al-Qaeda leader.
U.S. Central Command has acknowledged and expressed regret for the civilian harm caused by the airstrike, according to a statement released after conducting a year-long review. The review confirmed that the intended target, a senior al-Qaeda leader, was not struck and killed as intended, but rather a Syrian civilian named Lufti Hasan Masto. The news of this incident was first reported by The Washington Post.
The target was misidentified by U.S. forces, however, according to CENTCOM, the strike was carried out in accordance with the law of armed conflict. Additionally, the officers adhered to the policies of the Pentagon and Central Command.
CENTCOM admitted that there were areas for improvement identified during its investigation. The organization expressed its commitment to learning from the incident and enhancing its targeting processes to minimize any potential harm to civilians.
The report did not mention any potential disciplinary action and refrained from disclosing specific issues due to the classified nature of the information.
