The U.S. military believed it killed a top al-Qaida official in an airstrike in Syria in May 2023, but an investigation determined that a civilian was killed in the attack.
U.S. Central Command released a statement on Thursday where it said the investigation concluded that "U.S. forces misidentified the intended al-Qaida target and that a civilian, Mr. Lufti Hasan Masto, was struck and killed instead."
The probe confirmed earlier reports from family members and residents that the May 3 drone strike had killed a civilian.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war in the country, said the airstrike at a chicken farm near the town of Harem killed one person, the Associated Press reported.
Later, relatives and neighbors told the AP that the person killed was a farmer and had no connection to the terrorist group.
Mohamed Masto called allegations that his 60-year-old brother was a part of al-Qaida "absolute lies," adding that the killing was an "injustice and an aggression."
He said his sibling was tending his sheep when he was killed.
Central Command, which oversees all military operations in the Middle East, began an investigation into the airstrike in June 2023. It concluded in November.
Investigators on the team visited sites in the U.S., Iraq, and Jordan, and interviewed more than 40 witnesses, Central Command said.
It "also sought information from non-governmental organizations. The team reviewed classified and unclassified information held by DoD and other federal agencies," the statement said.
Saying it couldn't release more findings because they contained classified information, Central Command 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."
"However, the investigation revealed several issues that could be improved. We are committed to learning from this incident and improving our targeting processes to mitigate potential civilian harm," it added.
