On May 3 2023, United States Central Command engaged in a drone strike in Northwest Syria that was supposed to target an Al Qaeda leader. It became evident relatively quickly that the drone strike probably did nothing more than blow up a shepherd tending to his sheep. Statements from the man’s family, and terrorism experts both cast doubt on the validity of the attack. Photos published online showed sheep corpses intermingled with the debris from the explosion (viewer discretion advised).
It wasn’t until May 2 2023, almost exactly a year on-the-dot, that US CENTCOM finally admitted that “U.S. forces misidentified the intended Al Qaeda target and that a civilian, Mr. Lufti Hasan Masto (Masto), was struck and killed instead.” It’s fine that they admitted to their error, but the important takeaway is just how long it took them to do so. There is also one other concerning detail revealed in CENTCOM’s press release.
The press release states “The (investigative) team conducted site visits in the United States, Iraq, and Jordan, and interviewed more than forty witnesses. The investigative team also sought information from non-governmental organizations. The team reviewed classified and unclassified information held by DoD and other federal agencies.” If CENTCOM had access to all of this information, this begs the question: why didn’t US Central Command forces come to the same conclusion that the investigative team did prior to killing a man? Why wasn't a similarly extensive investigation not conducted? It would be difficult to imagine an American citizen being blatantly murdered by the government without trial, and should be equally disturbing when it happens to any civilian.
Video Credit: Twitter
Sources:
Command, U. S. C. (2023, May 3). US Central Command targets senior al Qaeda leader in strike in northwest Syria pic.twitter.com/xrsespgomq. Twitter. https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1653730332393324546?s=20
Anasmaarawi, أ. ا. (2023, May 3). مخلفات الصاروخ الذي استهدفه طيران التحالف قبل قليل على اطراف بلدة #قورقانيا شمالي #ادلب pic.twitter.com/r1tzrhwkt3. Twitter. https://twitter.com/anasanas84/status/1653694894207119360
U.S. officials walk back claim Syria strike killed senior al-Qaeda leader - The Washington Post. (2023). https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/18/pentagon-drone-strike-syria-civilian-al-qaeda/
May 3, 2023 investigation findings. U.S. Central Command. (2024, May 2). https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/3763291/may-3-2023-investigation-findings/#:~:text=What%20we%20can%20share%20is,issues%20that%20could%20be%20improved.
ABC News Network. (n.d.-a). US military acknowledges errant drone strike last year killed a civilian, not an al-Qaeda leader. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-military-errant-drone-strike-2023-killed-civilian-not-al-qaeda-leader/story?id=109877102#:~:text=It%20confirmed%20the%20Syrian%2C%20Lufti,CENTCOM%20said%20in%20a%20statement.
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