US airstrike kills nine Al-Shabab militants in southern Somalia

US Africa Command has said that nine Al-Shabab militants were killed on Friday in an airstrike west of Mogadishu.

1 min read

02 December, 2018

Al-Shabab have continued to pose a dangerous threat to Somalia's stability [AFP]

The US military says it has killed nine members of the al-Shabab extremist group with a new airstrike in southern Somalia.

The airstrike occurred on Friday near Lebede, a community in the Bay region west of the capital, Mogadishu, according to US Africa Command's statement.

The statement gave no details on those killed and says no civilians were involved.

The US military has carried out at least 37 airstrikes this year against the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab, one of Africa's deadliest Islamic extremist groups.

Al-Shabab were forced out of the capital by African Union troops in 2011.

But they still control parts of the countryside and attack government, military and civilian targets, seemingly at will, in Mogadishu and regional towns.

In 2017, Somalia saw the deadliest attack in its history after a truck bombing killed more than 500 people in the capital.