'Jihadi John' targeted in U.S. drone strike

On Thursday, a U.S. drone strike was launched targeting "Jihadi John," the Islamic State militant linked to the beheadings of several Western hostages, U.S. officials said.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said a strike took place near Raqqa, the Syrian city that has become the de facto capital of the Islamic State, and officials are still trying to determine if Jihadi John, a Briton whose real name is Mohammed Emwazi, was killed. In August 2014, a masked Emwazi appeared in a video showing him execute American journalist James Foley, and he is believed to have taken part in the beheadings of other journalists and aid workers.

Born in Kuwait and raised in London, Emwazi is in his mid-20s, and is thought to have gone to Syria in 2012 to join ISIS. Former hostages say he was particularly brutal, and waterboarded and beat up prisoners. One official told The Washington Post that the strike could have also targeted other members of ISIS from Britain.

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