U.S. strike kills some 60 militants

JOHANNESBURG — The U.S. military on Tuesday announced its deadliest air strike against the al-Shabab extremist group in Somalia in nearly a year, killing about 60 fighters.

The U.S. Africa Command said Friday’s air strike occurred near the community of Harardere in Mudug province in the central part of the country. According to its assessment, no civilians were injured or killed.

It was the largest U.S. air strike since one on Nov. 21, 2017, killed about 100 al-Shabab fighters.

The U.S. military has carried out more than two dozen air strikes, including drone strikes, this year against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab, the deadliest Islamic extremist group in subSaharan Africa.

Somalia on Sunday marked the first anniversary of al-Shabab’s deadliest attack, a truck bombing in Mogadishu that killed well over 500 people. It was one of the world’s deadliest attacks since 9/11 and the worst extremist attack ever in Africa.

The United States, which also has targeted a small number of fighters linked to the Islamic State in northern Somalia, has increased its military presence in the longchaotic Horn of Africa nation since early 2017 to about 500 personnel after President Trump approved expanded military operations.

Al-Shabab, which seeks to establish an Islamic state in Somalia, continues to hold parts of the country’s south and central regions after being chased out of Mogadishu several years ago. The group, estimated at several thousands of fighters, still carries out deadly attacks against high-profile targets such as hotels and checkpoints in the capital and other cities.