The United States on Thursday carried out an air strike in Syria targeting the Islamic State militant known as "Jihadi John," who participated in gruesome videos showing the killings of American and British hostages, officials said. "We are 99% sure we got him," a senior U.S. military official told Fox News. The Islamic State executioner was identified as British national Mohammed Emwazi in February. The Pentagon said it was still evaluating the effectiveness of the strike in the Syrian city of Raqqa, about 160 kilometers (99 miles) east of Aleppo. The city is considered Islamic State's de facto capital. A U.S. official told The Associated Press that a drone targeted a vehicle in which Emwazi was believed to be traveling. Another senior official told CNN, "This was a mission of persistent surveillance," adding authorities knew it was Emwazi when they took the shot. "U.S. forces conducted an airstrike in Raqqa, Syria, on Nov. 12, 2015, targeting Mohammed Emwazi, also known as 'Jihadi John,'" Pentagon Spokesperson Peter Cook said in a statement. "Emwazi, a British citizen, participated in the videos showing the murders of U.S. journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley, U.S. aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, and a number of other hostages," the statement said. "We are assessing the results of tonight's operation and will provide additional information as and where appropriate." Dressed entirely in black, a balaclava covering all but his eyes and the bridge of his nose, "Jihadi John" became a menacing symbol of Islamic State brutality and one of the world's most wanted men. If his death is confirmed, it would be an important milestone in the U.S.-led campaign against the group and would come more than a year after U.S. President Barack Obama promised justice after the deaths of American hostages. An unnamed Pentagon official told ABC News the mission to take out "Jihadi John" was "flawless," describing it as a "clean hit" with no collateral damage. "Emwazi basically evaporated," he said.
