US retract their assertion that a senior al Qaeda commander was killed in a recent drone operation in Syria

A reliable source within the US defense confirmed to Fox News that the military is retracting its previous claim that a senior al-Qaeda commander was killed in a recent drone operation in Syria. The Washington Post was the first to report on this development. The victim of the American missile strike on May 3 was identified by his family as Lotfi Hassan Misto, aged 56.

The operation was conducted by US Central Command (CENTCOM), which initially stated in a press release on the day of the strike that it had targeted a senior al-Qaeda leader. However, no further details were provided, and the identity of the victim remained undisclosed. Misto’s family insists that he was tending to his sheep when he was killed and had no affiliation with any terrorist groups.

According to Misto’s family, he was a father of ten who lived a humble life in a town in northwest Syria, enduring poverty for most of his existence.

An anonymous official stated, “We are no longer confident we killed a senior AQ official.” Another official, also speaking anonymously, mentioned, “Though we believe the strike did not kill the original target, we believe the person to be al-Qaeda.”

Michael Lawhorn, a spokesperson for CENTCOM, acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations and stated that an investigation was underway to determine whether the action inadvertently caused harm to civilians.

In the weeks following the strike, US military authorities have been reluctant to disclose specific details about their target, the nature of the error, whether the real target escaped, Misto’s affiliation with al-Qaeda, and the reasons behind certain Pentagon officials still believing Misto was a member of the terrorist group despite his family’s objections.

This incident involving an erroneous airstrike follows previous accusations against the Biden administration for covering up similar instances resulting in the deaths of innocent people. The administration pledged to take measures to mitigate such risks and promised greater transparency in case of such fatalities.

Investigations conducted by various media outlets, including The Washington Post, have revealed how faulty intelligence and confirmation bias within the military have led to disastrous outcomes.

An example of such an incident occurred during the US evacuation of Afghanistan in 2021 when an airstrike initially reported to have killed a suicide bomber actually claimed the lives of ten Afghan civilians, including seven children.