10 al-Shabab militants killed in southwest Somalia

MOGADISHU, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Ten al-Shabab militants were killed on Thursday in an airstrike of an operation jointly conducted by the United States and Somali forces in southwest Somalia, state news agency reported.

The Somali National News Agency reported that the joint forces conducted the operation against al-Shabab militants at an area about 150 km southwest of the capital Mogadishu.

Al-Shabab militants did not comment on the latest operation so far.

This is the first operation conducted by the joint forces this year.