U.S. military says it is "reasonably certain" strike killed "Jihadi John"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military is "reasonably certain" a U.S. drone strike killed the Islamic State militant known as "Jihadi John," a British citizen who appeared in videos of militants beheading Western journalists and aid workers, a spokesman said on Friday. The militant, Mohammed Emwazi, was thought to have been killed in the Syrian town of Raqqa by a U.S. drone firing a Hellfire missile, but the military still needed final verification, said Army Colonel Steve Warren, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State. "We are reasonably certain that we killed Jihadi John," Warren told a Pentagon briefing, adding it "will take some time to confirm." One other person was killed in the strike on a car Emwazi was riding in, Warren said, without elaborating. He said Emwazi was the only high-value target who died in the strike. Emwazi's death would be a "significant blow" to Islamic State's prestige because of his high visibility, Warren said, but added he was not a major tactical or operational figure in the group. "He was a recruitment tool for the organization," Warren said. (Reporting by Idrees Ali and Doina Chiacu; Writing by David Alexander; Editing by Frances Kerry)