Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang is fully embracing the underdog plot of his campaign.
He demonstrated that on Tuesday by jogging onto the Philadelphia Art Museum steps made famous by Sylvester Stallone in "Rocky" for a rally.
Instead of a grey sweatsuit, Yang sported a blue jacket and ball cap, declaring that he is seeking the presidency to solve the nation's problems. The biggest problem, Yang said, is "how the heck did Donald Trump become our president?"
Months after launching his campaign, Yang remains near the bottom of most national polls, but his campaign already has fared better than some more traditional candidates. Yang was one of 10 candidates to appear onstage at the last presidential debate. And his campaign has outlasted a sitting U.S. senator and sitting governor.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. airstrike in Syria in May 2023 that was targeting an al-Qaida leader killed an innocent civilian instead, U.S. Central Command said Thursday, confirming early reports from residents and family members shortly after the attack.
U.S. Central Command said an investigation into the May 3 strike concluded that U.S. forces misidentified the intended al-Qaida target “and that a civilian, Mr. Lufti Hasan Masto, was struck and killed.”
Shortly after the drone strike, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said it had hit a chicken farm near the town of Harem, killing one person. And just days later, relatives and neighbors told The Associated Press that the person killed was a farmer who raised sheep, chickens and cattle and had no involvement with armed groups.
Masto’s brother, Mohamed Masto, said reports that his brother, 60, was involved with al-Qaida were “absolute lies” and his killing was “an injustice and an aggression.” Instead, Masto was simply tending his sheep when the strike hit.
Central Command said the investigation into the strike was completed last November — but it wasn't released publicly until Thursday.
In a statement, Central Command said much of the investigation and findings are classified but acknowledged it revealed “several issues that could be improved.”
“What we can share is the investigation concluded the strike was conducted in compliance with the law of armed conflict as well as Department of Defense and CENTCOM policies,” the statement said. “We are committed to learning from this incident and improving our targeting processes to mitigate potential civilian harm.”
The Defense Department has come under fire over the course of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria for killing civilians in airstrikes. It set up a detailed investigation and review process for strikes when there are allegations of innocent people being killed.
The U.S. also continues to target al-Qaida and Islamic State leaders in Syria, including the 2017 airstrike that killed Abu al-Kheir al-Masri, a former aide to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida’s second in command in Syria.
FILE - Mohammed Hassan Masto sits next to the grave of his brother Lutfi on May 7, 2023, in the village of Qorqanya, a rural area in northern Idlib province, Syria. Central Command said Thursday, May 2, 2024, an airstrike in Syria that was targeting an al-Qaida leader misidentified the intended target and killed Lutfi Hassan Masto instead. The investigation confirms early reports from residents and family members shortly after the attack. (AP Photo/Omar Albam, File)
