MOGADISHU, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The United States military said on Friday evening its special forces conducted an airstrike against al-Shabab terrorists in southwest of the capital, Mogadishu, killing 12 terrorists.
The U.S. Africa Command (Africom) said the Thursday afternoon airstrike which was conducted in cooperation with Somali government targeted the militants about 30km southwest of Mogadishu, and did not result in civilian casualties.
"We currently assess no civilians were killed in this airstrike," Africom said in a statement released following the latest strike in the Horn of Africa nation.
The latest U.S. strike comes amid heightened vigilance by Somalia's stabilization security unit forces who have launched operation targeting several parts of the Horn of Africa nation, in response to the increasing terror attacks in the country.
Africom said American forces will continue to use all authorized and appropriate measures to protect U.S. citizens and to disable terrorist threats.
"This includes partnering with AMISOM and Somali National Security Forces in combined counterterrorism operations and targeting terrorists, their training camps, and their safe havens throughout Somalia and the region," it added.
The latest strike also comes after the militant group released a video record of some of the brutal assassinations the insurgents have carried out recently against individuals accused of working with local governments.
