US Killed Civilian Farmer, Not Top Al Qaeda Leader in 2023 Airstrike, CENTCOM Admits

CENTCOM Admits US Airstrike Killed Innocent Farmer, Not Al Qaeda Leader

May 2, 2024 TruthUSA

The U.S. military has determined that a 2023 airstrike initially aimed at a senior Al Qaeda leader in northwest Syria actually resulted in the tragic death of a civilian farmer.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), responsible for U.S. operations in the Middle East, disclosed on May 3, 2023, that their forces conducted a strike targeting an Al Qaeda member. The specific Al-Qaeda leader was not mentioned in the initial statement, but CENTCOM assured, “We will provide more information as operational details become available.”

Around the same time CENTCOM made this announcement, reports emerged of an unidentified drone fatally shooting Lotfi Hassan Misto (also known as Lutfi Hasan Masto) while he was attending to his sheep in a field near Qorqanya in northwest Syria. According to neighbors who spoke to The Washington Post, Mr. Misto, a 56-year-old father of 10 children, was killed.

The allegations surrounding Mr. Misto’s death prompted CENTCOM to reassess the May 3, 2023, strike. Nearly a year after the incident, CENTCOM acknowledged that the operation had, in fact, led to Mr. Misto’s death.

“The investigation concluded that U.S. forces misidentified the intended Al Qaeda target and mistakenly struck and killed a civilian, Mr. Lufti Hasan Masto (Masto),” stated CENTCOM in a Thursday press release.

CENTCOM did not provide further details on how Mr. Misto was mistaken for the intended Al Qaeda target.

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Many details and findings of the investigation involve classified information and cannot be shared publicly, according to the U.S. military command.

CENTCOM stated that the airstrike’s compliance with the laws of armed conflict and relevant policies of CENTCOM and the Department of Defense was confirmed by the investigation. However, the military command acknowledged, “The investigation revealed several issues that could be improved.”

CENTCOM did not specify what potential enhancements had been identified.

Although the investigative team had concluded their work on the strike on Nov. 15, 2023, CENTCOM shared its findings nearly six months later. It remains unclear why there was a delay in presenting the investigative results or if Mr. Misto’s family had been informed of the findings earlier.

The press release from CENTCOM mentioned, “We are committed to learning from this incident and improving our targeting processes to mitigate potential civilian harm. U.S. Central Command acknowledges and regrets the civilian harm that resulted from the airstrike…”

NTD News attempted to reach out to CENTCOM for additional details but did not receive a response by the time of publication. The Department of Defense directed inquiries to CENTCOM.

The investigation, led by U.S. Army Brig. Gen. John P. Cogbill and involving 10 senior service members and civilian employees with expertise in intelligence, law of armed conflict, operations, and targeting matters, did not include individuals directly involved in the airstrike.

Civilian Casualties

Civilian casualties have been a tragic outcome of various U.S.-led military actions in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria in recent history.

A report by The New York Times in November 2021 revealed that as many as 70 civilian noncombatants had been killed by a U.S. airstrike in March 2019 during efforts to capture the ISIS stronghold in Baghouz, Syria. The military reportedly had not investigated this particular 2019 airstrike.

Subsequent to this incident, the Pentagon initiated a fresh review of the 2019 Baghouz strike. The investigation concluded that there were no violations of rules of engagement or laws of war, affirming the commander’s efforts to differentiate between civilians and ISIS fighters and the proportionality of the strikes within the combat context.

After a botched U.S. airstrike in the final stages of the Afghan war, which was originally thought to have targeted an ISIS member posing a threat to U.S. evacuation operations in Kabul, it was revealed that the strike had killed 10 Afghan civilians instead. The Pentagon determined this to be a tragic mistake and decided that no disciplinary action would be taken against military personnel or officials.

In December, the Department of Defense released new guidelines for minimizing civilian harm, titled “Instruction on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response.” The guidance emphasizes the need for military components to acknowledge fault, offer condolences, and provide reparations in cases where operations result in civilian casualties.

It is unknown what steps CENTCOM may have taken to extend condolences to Mr. Misto’s family following this regrettable mistaken strike.

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