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US forces have carried out an air strike targeting the Islamic State group militant known as "Jihadi John", the Pentagon has said.

Mohammed Emwazi, the Kuwaiti-born British militant, was the target of an attack near Raqqa, in Syria, according to BBC.

A worldwide hunt had been launched for Emwazi after he was seen in videos of the beheadings of Western hostages.

The Pentagon said it was still assessing whether Emwazi had been killed in the attack on Thursday.

A US official told the BBC the strike had been on a vehicle believed to be carrying Emwazi, whom the official said had been "tracked carefully over a period of time."

The Associated Press news agency reported a US official saying that a drone had been used in the attack.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said: "We are assessing the results of tonight's operation and will provide additional information as and where appropriate."

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: "We are aware of the US statement about the air strike targeting Mohammed Emwazi. Like them, we are not commenting further at this stage."