By Servet Gunerigok
WASHINGTON (AA) - The US military has acknowledged that a civilian was killed instead of an intended Al-Qaeda leader during a strike in Syria last year, investigation findings released by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) revealed.
"The investigation determined U.S. forces misidentified the intended Al Qaeda target and that a civilian, Mr. Lufti Hasan Masto (Masto), was struck and killed instead," said the military in a release on Thursday.
The statement said that due to the involvement of classified information, many details and findings of the investigation cannot be publicly disclosed.
The investigation, conducted between June 6 and Nov. 15, 2023, examined an airstrike carried out on May 3, 2023 in northwest Syria initially targeting a senior Al-Qaeda leader.
According to the report, the investigative team conducted site visits in the US, Iraq and Jordan and interviewed over 40 witnesses.
The probe also said "the investigation concluded the strike was conducted in compliance with the law of armed conflict as well as Department of Defense and CENTCOM policies."
CENTCOM regretted the civilian harm that resulted from the airstrike.
"We take all reports of civilian harm caused by U.S. military operations seriously and continue to employ thorough and deliberate targeting and strike processes to minimize civilian harm," it said. "This process includes a thorough review and vetting of lawful targets prior to a strike and another review after each strike.”