"The defensive strikes allowed the Somali National Army and African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) forces to regain the initiative and continue the operation to disrupt al Shabab in the Hiraan region of central Somalia," AFRICOM said.

"This operation is the largest combined Somali and ATMIS offensive operation in five years."

Sunday's strike was the sixth recorded in 2022, according to the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) website.

The United States has been carrying out air strikes in Somalia against al Shabab, an al Qaeda franchise, for years.

In Hiran region residents say al Shabab's torching of houses, destruction of wells and killing of civilians, combined with demands for taxes amidst the worst drought in 40 years, has pushed locals to form paramilitary groups to fight alongside the government.

The militants, who are seeking to overthrow the Western-backed central government and implement a strict interpretation of Islamic law, were killed while attacking federal forces near Buulobarde, a town around 200 km (125 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu, AFRICOM said in a statement.

An ATMIS spokesperson and Somalia government officials did not respond to requests for comment. ATMIS has not publicly acknowledged any role in the operation, which one local elder said had captured 10 villages from al Shabab in recent weeks.

Rights activists have previously accused the United States of shrouding its Somalia operations in secrecy, potentially undermining accountability for incidents involving civilian deaths.

Somalia has been in civil war since 1991, when clan-based warlords overthrew a dictator then turned on each other