{{US military forces have carried out an operation against al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab fighters in Somalia, Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby has said.}}
“We are assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information as and when appropriate,” he added in a statement on Monday.
There were no further details immediately available.
The US military assistance comes as Somalia’s army and African Union (AU) troops are continuing a major offensive against the armed fighters.
In the north of the country, security forces say they have captured districts in the Hiran region, without a single shot being fired, according to media reporting from Fidow, on the border of middle Shabelle and Hiran regions.
Government forces are also eying to capture the seaside port of Barawe – al-Shabab’s official headquarters – south of Mogadishu.
On Monday al-Shabab fighters carried out a car bomb and gun attack against an intelligence headquarters in central Mogadishu, leaving at least seven fighters and five others dead.
Al-Shabab fighters have targeted key areas of the Somali government or the security forces in an apparent bid to discredit claims by the authorities – who are backed by the African Union’s 22,000-strong AMISOM force – that they are winning the war against the armed group.
The armed group is fighting to topple Somalia’s internationally-backed government, and regularly launch attacks against state targets, as well as in neighbouring countries that contribute to the AU force.
aljazeera
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