In 2023, the U.S. military conducted an airstrike in northwest Syria, claiming to have targeted a senior Al Qaeda leader. However, a subsequent investigation revealed that the strike had actually killed a civilian farmer, Lotfi Hassan Misto (also spelled Lutfi Hasan Masto), not an Al Qaeda operative as initially believed.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), responsible for overseeing U.S. military operations in the Middle East, issued a statement on May 3, 2023, stating that the strike targeted an Al Qaeda member. At the time, CENTCOM did not identify the individual allegedly targeted, but said it would provide more information as details became available.
Around the same time, other reports indicated that an unidentified drone had killed Misto, a 56-year-old father of 10, while he was working in a field near the northwest Syrian town of Qorqanya. This discrepancy led to further investigation by CENTCOM.
Nearly a year after the incident, CENTCOM admitted that the airstrike had indeed resulted in the death of Misto, a civilian farmer, rather than a senior Al Qaeda leader. The acknowledgment came after significant scrutiny and raises questions about the intelligence and targeting processes that led to the tragic outcome.
"The investigation concluded that U.S. forces misidentified their intended Al Qaeda target, resulting in the death of a civilian, Mr. Lufti Hasan Masto (Masto),” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) stated in a press release on Thursday. CENTCOM acknowledged that the 2023 airstrike killed Masto, not the senior Al Qaeda leader they initially targeted, but did not explain how the misidentification occurred.
CENTCOM cited classified information as the reason for not providing additional details about the misidentification of Masto. "Many of the facts and other findings of the investigation involve classified information and cannot be shared publicly," the statement said.
The investigation into the incident concluded that the strike complied with the laws of armed conflict and adhered to CENTCOM and Department of Defense policies. However, the investigation also identified "several issues that could be improved," without elaborating on what these issues might be or how they would be addressed.
Although CENTCOM released its investigative conclusions on Thursday, the investigation into the 2023 airstrike that killed civilian farmer Lufti Hasan Masto had been completed on November 15, 2023. It's unclear why CENTCOM waited nearly six months to disclose its findings or whether it had informed Mr. Misto's family beforehand.
"We are committed to learning from this incident and improving our targeting processes to mitigate potential civilian harm," CENTCOM stated. "U.S. Central Command acknowledges and regrets the civilian harm that resulted from the airstrike." The command emphasized its efforts to minimize civilian harm in all operations but didn't clarify if they had reached out to Masto's family to offer condolences or compensation.
NTD News contacted CENTCOM for more details about the investigation, but they had not responded by press time on Thursday. The Department of Defense (DOD) directed inquiries to CENTCOM.
The investigation was led by U.S. Army Brig. Gen. John P. Cogbill and consisted of 10 senior service members and civilian employees with expertise in intelligence, law of armed conflict, operations, and targeting. The team was independent from those involved in the airstrike.
Civilian casualties have been a recurring issue in U.S.-led military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. In 2019, a U.S. airstrike in eastern Syria killed as many as 70 civilian noncombatants during the battle for Baghouz, according to a November 2021 New York Times report. This strike was not thoroughly investigated until after the newspaper's report. Later investigations by the Pentagon and CENTCOM concluded that no laws or rules of engagement were violated and no disciplinary action was taken.
In another incident, a U.S. airstrike during the final days of the Afghanistan war targeted what was believed to be an ISIS member, but instead killed 10 Afghan civilians. The Pentagon described this as a tragic mistake, but no military personnel were held accountable.
The DOD has since published new guidelines on civilian harm mitigation and response, which emphasize acknowledging civilian deaths and offering condolences, which can be written or spoken or in the form of compensation for damages. However, it's unclear what condolences CENTCOM has provided to Mr. Misto's family following this most recent incident.
