U.S. conducts fresh drone attack on al-Shabaab in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- United States forces early Tuesday conducted an airstrike in Somalia on Al-Shabaab militants, the U.S. Africa Command (Africom) said.

No civilian was killed in the drone strike, which was carried out in coordination with the Somali government and targeted an al-Shabaab vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, about 65km southwest of the capital, Mogadishu, Africom said.

"This strike supports our partner forces by removing an imminent threat to the people of Mogadishu," Africom said in a statement. "We assess no civilians were killed in the strike."

U.S. forces have carried out a series of drone strikes in the past months in Somalia, targeting Islamist State and al-Shabaab fighters as the Africa Union peacekeeping mission prepares to exit the country.

Local forces and those of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have also intensified military operations against the insurgents, flushing them in their Lower and Middle Shabelle region bases, amid an expected pullout of 1,000 African Union troops by the end of December. Enditem