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

Photos of 'Jihadi John' on the front of British newspapers.
(Image credit: Daniel Sorabji/AFP/Getty Images)

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.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.