Pentagon: US Airstrikes Targeted 'Jihadi John'

The US Department of Defense, Pentagon, stated on Thursday, November 12, that the US Air Force conducted an operation in Syria targeting Mohammed Emwazi, known as 'Jihadi John'. According to CNN, Peter Cook, Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that the operation took place on Thursday in Raqqa, Syria. The spokesman added: 'We are assessing the results of tonight's attack, and more information will be provided at the appropriate time.' Mohammed Emwazi, who is said to be born in Kuwait and a British citizen, appeared in several videos where members of the Islamic State (ISIS) were beheading their hostages. While Pentagon officials have not officially confirmed whether Emwazi was killed in this attack, a senior US official, who requested anonymity, told CNN that US government officials are confident he was killed in the strike. This senior official added that Emwazi had been under constant surveillance and that when the attack occurred, US forces were fully aware they were targeting 'Jihadi John'. Another US official stated that Emwazi was targeted while in his vehicle by a drone. Meanwhile, the Pentagon noted that Emwazi participated in the beheading videos of American journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley, American aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, and several other hostages. According to CNN, there had been a period during which Emwazi's images were not shown in the released beheading videos. Earlier this summer, US officials indicated that he was hiding in a location near Raqqa.