US airstrike in Somalia against al-Shabab kills 7 extremists

JOHANNESBURG – The U.S. military says it has carried out an airstrike in central Somalia targeting al-Shabab that killed seven extremists.

The U.S. Africa Command statement says Tuesday’s airstrike occurred in Quy Cad in the Mudug region. The strike was carried out a day after two other U.S. airstrikes killed 37 extremists with the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab.

Like the previous statement, this one says it believes no civilians were killed or injured.

The U.S. has carried out 33 airstrikes this year against al-Shabab, the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa. The military says the airstrikes are aimed at reducing al-Shabab’s ability to plan attacks, disrupting its leadership networks and limiting its freedom of movement in the Horn of Africa nation.

Al-Shabab often targets the capital, Mogadishu, and other cities with deadly bombings.