CENTCOM investigating latest Syria drone strike for civilian harm

The admission of potential civilian harm comes after the US defense secretary ordered a new review of a separate lethal strike in Syria.

AL-MONITOR Staff
AL-MONITOR Staff
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby listens to questions from reporters during a press briefing at the Pentagon on Sept. 3, 2021, in Arlington, Virginia.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby listens to questions from reporters during a press briefing at the Pentagon on Sept. 3, 2021, in Arlington, Virginia. — Drew Angerer/Getty Images

US Central Command (CENTCOM) initiated an investigation into a drone strike near Syria’s Idlib province last week that reportedly wounded six bystanders, including children.

The strike, carried out with a US military MQ-9 Reaper drone, targeted a senior Huras al-Din figure in northwest Syria, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Monday.

Huras al-Din is an offshoot of al-Qaeda in Syria. Kirby identified the target by name as Mus’ab Qinan.

CENTCOM said in a statement on Friday that it had initial indications that civilians may have been harmed in the strike.

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