Syria: US strike on al-Qaida leader allegedly kills civilian

By OMAR ALBAM and ABBY SEWELL
Associated Press

QORQANYA, Syria (AP) — The U.S. military says it is investigating reports that it killed a civilian in a recent strike in northwest Syria that meant to target a senior al-Qaida leader. Relatives and neighbors of a 60-year-old man killed in the May 3 strike in the village of Qorqanya, a rural area in northern Idlib province, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he was a farmer who raised sheep, chickens and cattle and had no involvement with armed groups. In an initial statement released the day of the strike, U.S. Central Command said its forces had conducted a strike targeting a “senior Al Qaeda leader.”