US military airstrikes kill 6 al-Shabab fighters

The US military said on Thursday that it conducted two airstrikes in central Somalia on Wednesday, killing six al-Shabab terrorists and destroying a weapons cache.

The US Africa Command (Africom) said the drone strikes, carried out in coordination with the Somalian government, was conducted in the vicinity of Haradhere in central Somalia.

"We currently assess the first airstrike killed six al-Shabab militants and the second airstrike destroyed a weapons cache," Africom said in a statement.

The US military said the airstrikes did not injure or kill any civilians but targeted the militant group which has been fighting to establish an Islamic state in Somalia for almost a decade.

It added that the airstrikes reduce al-Shabab's ability to plot future attacks, disrupt its leadership networks, and degrade its freedom of maneuver within the region.

The Al Qaeda-allied terrorist group continues to hold parts of the country's south and central regions after being chased out of Mogadishu several years ago.

Somali and African Union peacekeeping forces have also intensified military operations against the insurgents, flushing them in their Lower and Middle Shabelle region bases as part of efforts to stabilize the Horn of Africa nation.

--IANS

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