The United States Department of Defense announced that U.S. has officially conducted its first operation against the al-Shabaab terror group, which is allied to al-Qaeda in Somalia on Sunday.
Al-Shabaab has been staging numerous attacks in the country in an attempt to establish the strict Sharia law in it.
"On June 11, at approximately 2 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the Department of Defense conducted a strike operation against al-Shabaab in Somalia. The operation occurred approximately 185 miles southwest of Mogadishu. The U.S. conducted this operation in coordination with its regional partners as a direct response to al-Shabaab actions, including recent attacks on Somali forces," the statement read.
The department added that the operation was carried out using powers approved by the US president in March 2017 allowing the military to conduct legal action against the militants.
The Pentagon estimated that the strike, in response to attacks in Somalia by al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab, killed eight militants.
On Thursday, al-Shabaab killed at least 38 and injured 18 in an attack on a military base in northern Somalia, reports Sputnik.
Somalia has been experiencing major violence since the civil war between the clan-based armed factions in the country in the early 1990s.
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