The drone strike against Jihadi John was “flawless” and essentially caused him to “evaporate,” a U.S. official said Thursday.
The hit resulted in no collateral damage. It was a direct hit against Mohammed Emwazi just as he exited a building and started to get into a vehicle, though officials still have not confirmed for certain that he’s dead, ABC News reports. (RELATED: The US Thinks It Just Might Have Droned Jihadi John To Death)
Emwazi played a prominent role in Islamic State propaganda and is known for his gruesome beheadings on film and his British-sounding accent. Given his importance to ISIS, the Pentagon is making sure to rub salt directly in the wound.
One U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal that “We are assessing the results for a final confirmation, but initial indications are that Jihadi John is no longer on this planet.”
Following the Pentagon’s announcement, witnesses on the scene told the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, that Emwazi had been blown into pieces. They also said his three compatriots in the car had been left in charred pieces.
Dragana Haines, the widow of David Haines, whom Emwazi had beheaded on film, said a drone strike was “too easy for him.”
Former counter-terrorism White House advisor Richard Clarke noted that Emwazi’s death is a big blow to the Islamic State in the propaganda war.
“Since ISIS has used propaganda and its ‘winner’ image to lure new adherents, when its propaganda figure is killed that makes it look more like a loser, more like the tide may be turning against it.”
Diane Foley, mother of journalist James Foley, told ABC News that the death of Jihadi John would be “really a small solace to us.”
British Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday at a press conference that the United Kingdom has no greater ally than the United States.
“We cannot yet be certain if the strike was successful. I’ve always said we would do whatever it takes to track him down, we’ve been working with the United States around the clock.”
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