Syrian family of 6 injured in U.S. strike

BEIRUT — A U.S. airstrike targeting an al-Qaida leader in northern Syria wounded a family of six, including a 10-year-old child who suffered serious head injuries.

Ahmad Qassim, a 52-year-old farmer, had picked up his family from his in-laws in northwestern Syria where they had spent four days, and they were driving back home Friday morning when an explosion riddled their vehicle with shrapnel.

Qassim his wife, two sons and two daughters suffered various wounds in the blast apparently caused by a missile fired from a U.S. drone. The drone was targeting a man on a motorcycle that Qassim was trying to overtake, according to Qassim and first responders.

The blast occurred near the northwestern village of Mastoumeh as the family headed to the northern town of Afrin.

Syria’s 10-year conflict has killed hundreds of thousands and left large parts of the country destroyed. Friday’s attack occurred in Idlib province, the last major rebel stronghold in Syria and home to 3 million people, many of them internally displaced, including Qassim’s family.

The U.S. military says it conducted a strike from a remotely piloted MQ-9 aircraft targeting “a senior al-Qaeda leader and planner.” An initial review of the strike indicated possible civilian casualties, it said.

“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 U.S. Central Command,” said Capt. Bill Urban, CENTCOM spokesperson.