US Air Force strikes in Somalia

WASHINGTON: A United States Air Force AC-130 gunship attacked suspected al Qaeda operatives in southern Somalia on Monday, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing unidentified US officials.

The newspaper said there was no information on the results or the specific targets of the air strike, which would be the second this month by US forces.

A Pentagon spokesman declined comment on the report.

The US launched an air strike two weeks ago against what it called Al Qaeda operatives among the fleeing Islamist ranks in its first publicly confirmed military action there since ending a disastrous peacekeeping mission in 1994.

Washington has believed that Somali Islamists have harbored Al Qaeda members accused of bombing two US embassies and an Israeli-owned hotel in east Africa.