A Washington Post investigation revealed US forces mistakenly killed a civilian in a drone strike. AdvertisementA Washington Post investigation revealed Thursday that US forces killed a shepherd in a drone strike after mistaking him for a top al-Qaeda official. The Washington Post began its investigation in May 2023 following the fatal strike, calling into question the identity of the al-Qaeda operative who US officials said had been slain. Related storiesCentral Command said its investigation revealed that there were "several issues" with the operation but did not explain exactly how it failed to identify its target. A defense official told The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity that the American drone strike was botched due to the decision-making and accuracy, or "confirmation bias and insufficient red teaming" issues among personnel.

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Persons: —, Al, Lufti Hasan Masto Organizations: Washington Post, Central Command, Service, Post, Command, Qaeda, US, Hellfire, Department of Defense, New York Times Locations: Syria, United States, Northwest Syria, Al Qaeda, Qaeda, Syrian, Qorqanya, American, Central, Washington, Afghanistan