US says drone strike in Somalia kills 1 al-Shabab extremist

MOGADISHU, Somalia – The U.S. military says it has killed an al-Shabab extremist with a drone strike in Somalia.

A brief statement from the U.S. Africa Command says the airstrike was carried out Thursday near Barawe town in southern Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region.

A U.S. Africa Command spokesman, Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Falvo, tells The Associated Press that “no civilians were anywhere near the site.” He says he does not have the identity of the al-Shabab member killed.

The U.S. military has carried out several airstrikes against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab in the Horn of Africa nation since President Donald Trump approved expanded military operations against the group.

The U.S. on Wednesday said a drone strike had killed three al-Shabab members in the Bay region, about 75 kilometres (45 miles) west of the capital, Mogadishu.