U.S. officials have confirmed that an American citizen fighting along with Takfiri insurgents in Syria was killed in a bomb attack in the northern province of Idlib.
The officials declined to identify the citizen, but sources near to al-Nusra Front militants said the American man went by the name of Abu Huraira al-Amriki.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that the man was involved in a truck bombing.
A video was circulated on the Internet showing insurgents loading tank shells into a large vehicle that had been armored with metal plates. In the video, there is a large explosion after the vehicle drives down a road, the Times said.
This is the first time the U.S. government admits involvement of an American citizen in such terrorist attacks in Syria, where foreign-backed insurgents have been fighting the Syrian government forces.
U.S. intelligence officials say more than 70 Americans have so far traveled to Syria, mainly to fight the Syrian government. The conflict in the country has become a magnet for Western extremists.
The report has raised the alarm in the US and its Western allies about the homecoming of these militants to carry out terrorist attacks.
The attack first surfaced on Tuesday in Twitter messages from the Nusra Front.
