The U.S. military announced Thursday it had killed “several militants” in an airstrike against Al-Shabaab jihadists in Somalia.
The attack took place early Thursday in the Bay region in the centre of the country, about 160 kilometers west of Mogadishu, AFP reports.
In a statement, the US Africa Command said that the strike was carried out in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia.
“Al-Shabaab has pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda and is dedicated to providing safe haven for terrorist attacks throughout the world,” it said.
Al-Shabaab was blamed for the October 14 truck bombing in Mogadishu that killed 358 people, and an attack on a hotel on October 29 that left 27 dead.
On Saturday the US mission to Somalia urged all non-essential staff to leave Mogadishu immediately following a specific threat against them.
That was one day after the US Africa Command launched drone strikes that targeted an Islamic State base in the country’s northeast.
