Strike against 'Jihadi John' hits at heart of Islamic State: UK's Cameron

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Friday that if U.S. forces had succeeded in killing the militant known as "Jihadi John" in Syria, it would be a strike at the heart of Islamic State. Speaking outside his Downing Street residence, Cameron said the U.S. attack on Mohammed Emwazi, a British citizen, had been a combined effort between Britain and the United States and "an act of self-defense. It was the right thing to do". He said he was still waiting for confirmation of Emwazi's death. The Pentagon said it was assessing the effectiveness of the strike in the Syrian city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of Islamic State. "If this strike was successful -- and we still await confirmation of that -- it will be a strike at the heart of ISIL (Islamic State)," Cameron said. "It will demonstrate to those who would do Britain, our people and our allies harm, we have a long reach, we have unwavering determination and we never forget about our citizens." He called Emwazi "a barbaric murderer", who "posed an ongoing and serious threat to innocent civilians, not only in Syria but around the world and in the United Kingdom too". (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, editing by Kate Holton)