The attack occurred on Friday near the village of al-Mastumah, Syria, located around 60km southwest of Aleppo. Local reports suggest as many as seven nearby civilians were injured as a result of the airstrike.

       Reports also suggest the terrorist operative killed in the attack was a member of Hurras al-Din, a splinter group affiliated with Al-Qaeda and fighting in the Syrian Civil War.

       Images from the scene appear to show a heavily damaged car on the edge of a highway.

       In a statement Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US Central command (CENTCOM) announced a full investigation into the civilian casualties is underway.

       “We abhor the loss of innocent life and take all possible measures to prevent them.

       “The possibility of a civilian casualty was immediately self-reported to US Central Command.

       “We are initiating a full investigation of the allegations and will release the results when appropriate.”

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