Two al-Shabab commanders killed in likely U.S. drone strike in Somalia

Two senior commanders of Al Qaeda-lined militant group al-Shabab have been killed in an air strike in southern Somalia, residents of Jilib said.

The residents of Jilib, 120 kilometer north of the port of Kismayo, said they believed it was a U.S. drone attack that killed the al-Shabab commanders travelling in a Suzuki vehicle between the towns of Jilib and Barawe, which is also suspected to be a major base of the Islamist group.

A member of the terrorist group confirmed that one of those killed was al-Shabab's top explosives expert, also known as Anta, the BBC reports.

Al-Shahab had claimed responsibility for the last month's Nairobi mall massacre which killed at least 67 people in a four-day siege.

According to the report, the attack is supposed to be a part of the U.S. efforts to capture al-Shabab commander Abdukadir Mohamed Abdukadir, also known as 'Ikrima'.

The U.S. has a large military base in Djibouti, which borders Somalia, the report added.

Al-Shabab has already been driven out of several major towns and cities in southern Somalia, but it still controls many rural areas.