Mogadishu, Nov 5 (AP) The United States military says it has carried out an airstrike in support of the Somali government's operations against the al-Shabab extremist group that has killed some of the group's fighters.

A statement by the US Africa Command on Saturday describes the airstrike as being carried out on Thursday in “collective self-defense” and at the request of the Somali National Army near the town of Cadale in the Middle Shabelle region.

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Cadale is 220 kilometers (137 miles) north of the capital, Mogadishu.

The US statement says al-Shabab fighters had been attacking Somali military forces. It says the initial assessment is that no civilians were killed.

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The US has carried out dozens of drone strikes against extremists in Somalia in recent years.(AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)