A USA military official, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the operation, said the Pentagon is “reasonably certain” that Emwazi was killed in the strike.
Advertisement
Another US official told CNN that Emwazi was in a vehicle at the time of the strike, which was launched from a drone.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules that bar civil servants from speaking to journalists without prior authorization.
Warren said the world is better off without the man believed to have beheaded several Western hostages, whom he referred to as a human animal. It was the right thing to do’.
The Pentagon said the USA military conducted an air strike Thursday targeting Emwazi, the masked IS militant with a British accent seen in grisly videos executing Western hostages. “People have told us that there were a lot of [body] parts”.
Diane and John Foley, of Rochester, the parents of James Foley, said the USA should put more effort into finding and rescuing hostages.
The pressure includes US plans to deploy dozens of special operations forces to Syria, deliver more weaponry to U.S.-backed Syrian fighters and to thicken USA air strikes against the militant group.
In an effort that ramped up over the a year ago, intelligence analysts and special operators have harnessed an array of satellites, sensors, drones and other technology to track and kill elusive militants across a vast, rugged area of Syria and Iraq, overcoming the lack of a significant USA ground presence and the awareness by American targets that they can be found through their use of electronic devices.
Two British trainee medics who met Emwazi when he visited friends in a Syrian hospital described him as “quiet, but a bit of an adrenaline junkie”.
“Britain has been working hand in glove with America over the “Jihadi John” drone strike, to defeat (ISIS), and to hunt down those murdering hostages”, Cameron’s office said.
Their friends and relatives all said Friday that even if Emwazi was dead, it would bring little comfort. “All the sources are saying it is of Jihadi John, but I can not confirm it personally”, Abdulrahman said.
Although Emwazi was not thought to be a major tactical figure within the ranks of IS his appearance in a series of videos apparently showing the brutal murder of several hostages including Britons Alan Henning and David Haines meant he had propaganda value for the extremist group.
“Islamic State will survive “Jihadi John”,” said Jonathan Russell, political liaison officer at the Quilliam Foundation, which aims to debunk the belief systems of Islamic extremism. Experts and others later confirmed the identification.
By his own account, Emwazi was born in Kuwait, and it is believed he moved to London as a child.
Cage said the police told his family they believe he travelled to Syria after that.
Advertisement
Asked about Mr Cameron’s description of the strike as “self defence”, Mr Earnest said: “The role that Mr Emwazi has played in radicalising individuals around the world, in inspiring individuals to join their cause made him a threat not just to the region but to countries around the world”. He has been tied to terrorist acts in Somalia since 2009.
