This was discovered by the U.S. military during an internal investigation.Misidentified Al Qaeda target and civilian Mr. Lufti Hasan Mast. (Mast) was instead struck and killed,” according to a statement from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) regarding the findings.
The investigation also concluded that the attack was “conducted in accordance with the laws of armed conflict and Department of Defense and CENTCOM policies.” “We have identified several issues that could be improved.”
Centcom said Failed to share many facts and findings publicly Because it contains confidential information, it is subject to investigation.
“We are committed to learning from this incident and improving our targeting processes to reduce potential harm to civilians,” CENTCOM said, adding:admit and regret Damage to civilians caused by air strikes. ”
The U.S. military initially claimed to have killed a senior al-Qaeda official in a May 3, 2023, attack in northwestern Syria.Instead, it is 56-year-old shepherd targeted Mast.
Centcom An investigation was ordered in June last year.a few weeks after it was published in the Washington Post. May 18th report In this strike, Mr. Mast’s relatives claimed that he had no ties to terrorists.
US officials immediately retracted the claim The investigation ended in November when a senior al-Qaeda official was killed, but he did not publicly admit until Thursday that he had mistaken Mr. Mast for an al-Qaeda employee.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
