U.S. drone strike targets IS militant participating in hostage beheading

The U.S. military launched a drone strike on Thursday targeting "Jihadi John", an Islamic State (IS) militant widely known for participating in the beheadings of Western hostages in IS's videos, according to the Pentagon.

The airstrike was launched around the Syrian city of Raqqa, headquarters of the IS in Syria, said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook in a statement.

"We are assessing the results of tonight's operation and will provide additional information as and where appropriate," said Cook.

The infamously black-clad English-speaking militant "Jihadi John" had been identified earlier this year as Mohamed Emwazi, a middle-class Briton born in Kuwait.

Hailing from an affluent family in West London, Emwazi, a computer-programming graduate, reportedly traveled to Syria around 2012 to joined the IS during the group's infancy.

He gained the moniker of "Jihadi John" after appearing in a video about the beheading of American journalist James Foley last August. He has also appeared in other videos documenting the appalling beheadings of other IS hostages, some of whom he had personally executed. Endi