Airstrike in Somalia Kills Two Jihadists: AFRICOM

FILE: illustrative image of U.S. Predator UAV (drone). A U.S. airbase in Djibouti is used for AFRICOM Horn of Africa operations. Photo taken 6.13.2010

Two Al-Shabaab militants were reportedly killed in an airstrike on Sunday in a remote region of southern Somalia, according to the US military command for Africa (AFRICOM).

"The command's initial assessment is that two Al-Shabab terrorists were killed in action," AFRICOM said in a statement issued late Monday, adding that the strike followed an attack on "partner forces" in the area.

The statement gave no further details about the Al-Shabaab attack that prompted the US action but mentioned that "no civilians were injured or killed given the remote nature of where this engagement occurred."

Despite a protracted African Union operation, the Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group has been conducting a murderous insurgency in Somalia for more than 10 years and continues to pose a serious threat.

On Sunday, a car bombing outside a popular hotel in central Somalia that was claimed by Al-Shabaab killed at least five people.

US President Joe Biden in May ordered the reestablishment of a US troop presence in Somalia to help local authorities combat Al-Shabaab, reversing a decision by his predecessor Donald Trump to withdraw most US forces.

Al-Shabaab fighters were driven out of the capital Mogadishu in 2011 by the AU force. However, the group still controls swathes of countryside and frequently strikes civilian and military targets.