US military: Drone strike kills al-Shabab fighter in Somalia

The US military said today it carried out a drone strike in Somalia that killed a member of the al-Shabab extremist group, while a Somali intelligence official said an al-Shabab leader was targeted but it was not clear whether he had been killed.

A statement from the US Africa Command said the airstrike occurred Saturday near Tortoroow, an al-Shabab stronghold in Lower Shabelle region in southern Somalia. The statement said no civilians were killed.

President Donald Trump earlier this year approved expanded military operations against al-Shabab, including more aggressive airstrikes and considering parts of southern Somalia areas of active hostilities.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab is the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa.

The US statement said the airstrike was carried out in coordination with regional partners "as a direct response to al-Shabab actions, including recent attacks on Somali forces." The Somali intelligence official identified the targeted al-Shabab leader as Ali Mohamed Hussein, who has served as the extremist group's shadow governor for Mogadishu and has been one of the group's most outspoken officials.

The official said at least one missile struck a car in which the al-Shabab leader was travelling near Tortoroow. One person was killed, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)