US walks back claim it killed major al Qaeda leader in drone strike

U.S. military officials are walking back a claim that a senior al Qaeda leader was killed in a recent drone strike in Syria, a senior U.S. defense official confirmed to Fox News.

The family of 56-year-old Lotfi Hassan Misto identified him as the person killed by the American missile on May 3.

They claim he had no ties to terrorist organizations and was tending to his sheep when he was killed.

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The story was first reported by the Washington Post. 

Misto’s family told the Post he was a father of 10 who lived quietly in a town in northwest Syria and spent much of his life in poverty.