President Barack Obama has announced on Thursday that a U.S. drone strike targeting an al Qaeda compound in January, has accidentally killed an American and an Italian who had been held hostage for years by the group.
The U.S. President apologized and took “full responsibility” for all counter-terrorism operations, including this one.
“As President and as Commander in Chief, I take full responsibility for all our counter-terrorism operations including the one that inadvertently took the lives of Warren and Giovanni.”
The deaths were a setback for the long-running U.S. drone strike program that has targeted Islamist militants in Pakistan, Afghanistan and other countries, and has often drawn criticism in those countries and from civil liberties groups in the United States.
Killed in the January drone strike were aid workers, Warren Weinstein, an American held by al Qaeda since 2011, and Giovanni Lo Porto, an Italian who went missing in Pakistan in 2012, as well as Ahmed Farouq, an American who was an al Qaeda leader.
Adam Gadahn, an American al Qaeda member, who was charged with treason in the United States, was also killed in a separate strike on another al Qaeda camp five days later.
President Obama said that he had ordered a full review of the matter to ensure such mistakes are not repeated.
“I profoundly regret what happened. On behalf of the United States Government, I offer our deepest apologies to the families,” he said.
