Somali, U.S. airstrike kills 3 in Mogadishu

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Somali and U.S. forces conducted a targeted airstrike in the Somalian capital here on Wednesday, killing three al-Shabab fighters in the vicinity of Wadajir district.

The United States Africa Command (Africom) said no civilians were injured or killed.

Gregory Hadfield, Africom’s deputy director of intelligence, said past attacks by al-Shabab have ranged from unsophisticated to complex operations, including assassinations, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and vehicle-borne IED attacks.

Somalia and partner forces have expanded their military operations into territory formerly controlled by al-Shabab after driving the insurgents out of Mogadishu in 2011.

Since 2017, the African Union, Somali and U.S. forces have stepped up air and ground military raids against al-Shabab, which is trying to overthrow the internationally-backed Somali government.

The strikes have largely targeted al-Shabab figureheads based in southern Somalia, where the group still maintains a strong grip in some regions.