US military strikes kill Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia

The United States military confirmed Tuesday that it conducted airstrikes in Somalia over the weekend, resulting in the deaths of three Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabab militants.

The U.S. Africa Command, based in Stuttgart, Germany, stated that the strikes were carried out at the request of Somalia’s government in a remote area approximately 35 kilometres northeast of the port city of Kismayo on Sunday.

Al-Shabab, the largest and most active al-Qaida network globally, has been engaged in a 16-year insurgency against the Western-backed Somali government, supported by African Union peacekeeping troops.

The Sunni extremist group has also carried out significant extremist attacks in neighboring Kenya, targeting AU peacekeeping forces that include Kenyan troops.