'Jihadi John' believed killed in US drone strike

The ISIS terrorist dubbed Jihadi John who oversaw the brutal executions of American and Western hostages was hit by a U.S. air strike Thursday night and is believed to have been killed, U.S. officials told ABC News.

One official said the jihadist, Mohammed Emwazi, was "eviscerated" as he left a building in Raqqa, Syria, and entered a vehicle. The official called it a "clean hit" with no collateral damage.

"U.S. forces conducted an airstrike in Raqqa, Syria, on Nov. 12, 2015 targeting Mohamed Emwazi, also known as 'Jihadi John,'" Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said.

"Emwazi, a British citizen, participated in the videos showing the murders of U.S. journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley, U.S. aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, and a number of other hostages," Cook said. "We are assessing the results of tonight's operation and will provide additional information as and where appropriate."

Diane Foley, the mother of Emwazi's first victim James Foley, told ABC News Emwazi's death was "really a small solace to us."

"This huge effort to go after the this deranged man filled with hate when they can't make half that effort to save the hostages while these young Americans were still alive," said Foley, who was been critical of the U.S. government's hostage policy.