- The US military has acknowledged that it mistakenly killed a civilian in an airstrike in Syria in 2023 after he was misidentified as a senior al-Qaeda leader. CBS (LR: 2 CP: 5)
- According to the Pentagon, the May 3, 2023 airstrike, which US Central Command previously said had targeted a terrorist, actually killed a 56-year-old farmer named Lutfi Hasan Masto. Military.com
- Although it was deemed to be compliant with the laws of armed conflict, Central Command said that the military "acknowledges and regrets the civilian harm that resulted from the airstrike." Al Jazeera (LR: 2 CP: 1)
- Following his accidental killing, Masto's family didn't receive a compensatory payment "given the facts of this situation and both policy and practical limitations." CNN (LR: 2 CP: 5)
- Although doubts about the airstrike's success were raised immediately, the US military conducted a more detailed investigation that followed an initial report by the Washington Post in May 2023. Business Insider
- The investigation into Masto's killing concluded last November and reportedly involved interviews, site visits, and information gathering from nongovernmental organizations, including the Syrian White Helmets. CNN (LR: 2 CP: 5)
Pro-establishment narrative:
- Although it's unfortunate that an innocent civilian was killed, the airstrike followed the rules of armed conflict and the policies of the US military. It resulted from numerous errors, and Central Command is committed to using the mistake to develop vital "lessons learned" and prevent civilian casualties in the future.
CNN (LR: 2 CP: 5)
Establishment-critical narrative:
- Civilians are the ones who bear the brunt of US military drone warfare in the Middle East. The US military faces minimal consequences for the "accidental" murders of these innocent people, and the families of these victims often never get restitution or justice for these deaths.
AL JAZEERA (LR: 2 CP: 1)
Nerd narrative:
- There's a 50% chance that Syria will no longer be classified as being in a state of civil war by February 2028, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)