DoD drone kills civilian instead of al-Qaeda leader

The investigation was confirmed through a statement released by CENTCOM on Wednesday, which announced the transition from the civilian casualty credibility assessment to a formal 15-6 investigation. The drone strike, which took place eight weeks ago, was initially intended to eliminate a high-ranking al-Qaeda leader.

Subsequent investigations have revealed that the strike tragically claimed the life of 56-year-old Loutfi Hassan Mesto, a farmer who had no connections to terrorism, as stated by his grieving family. Despite the initial confidence expressed by senior CENTCOM officials immediately following the strike, the identification of the victim necessitated thorough investigation processes.

Notably, on the day of the operation, Gen. Erik Kurilla, the commander of CENTCOM, instructed a tweet to be published from the command’s official Twitter account, announcing the successful drone strike against the al-Qaeda leader. The tweet was shared at 11:42 am local time in Syria and assured that more operational details would be provided as they became available. However, CENTCOM has refrained from sharing any further information about the specific strike.

This official investigation signifies a significant development in the sequence of events that followed the drone strike. It took CENTCOM two weeks to commence an assessment of civilian casualties, which began a week after The Washington Post presented information hinting at the possibility of a civilian being killed.

When questioned about the incident in May, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, stressed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s unwavering confidence in the department’s endeavors to minimize harm to civilians, underscoring their dedication to responsible policies.