MOGADISHU, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- The United States military said Tuesday its special forces conducted two airstrikes in the vicinity of Debatscile in Somalia on Monday, killing 37 al-Shabab terrorists.
The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said the two airstrikes, carried in cooperation with the Somali government, were planned to degrade the extremists.
"We currently assess the first airstrike killed twenty-seven (27) militants. This precision strike was a planned and deliberate action," AFRICOM said in a statement.
It said 10 militants were killed in another airstrike and that no civilian was killed or injured in the latest airstrikes.
AFRICOM vowed to continue working with its partners to transfer the responsibility for long-term security in Somalia from the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) to the Somali federal government and its member states.
"Alongside our Somali and international partners, we are committed to preventing al-Shabab from taking advantage of safe havens from which they can build capacity and attack the people of Somalia," it said.
The statement said the terrorist group uses portions of southern and central Somalia "to plot and direct terror attacks, steal humanitarian aid, extort the local populace to fund its operations, and shelter radical terrorists."
