US conducts missile strike in Somalia against al Qaeda-linked terror group

The United States military has targeted al Qaeda-linked militants in Somalia in an airstrike aimed to push back the insurgency group seeking to topple the state’s government.

The U.S. jointly coordinated and launched the attack with the Somali government that killed “several” al Shabaab militants in a strike about 60 miles outside the capital of Mogadishu, U.S. Africa Command said Wednesday.

“Al Shabaab has publicly committed to planning and conducting attacks against the U.S. and our partners in the region,” the command said in a statement.

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The airstrike comes after another airstrike in Somalia on Saturday that killed “one enemy combatant” about 250 miles outside of Mogadishu. 

Earlier this month, the U.S. warned its diplomatic staff stationed in Mogadishu to leave the capital, Reuters reported.

Forces have steadily driven the Islamist terrorist group out of Somalia’s cities and towns over the years. In 2011, the group was pushed out of Mogadishu.

Al Shabaab is believed to be behind last month’s deadly bombings in Mogadishu that killed over 350 people.

The militant group wants to institute a harsh interpretation of Islamic law in the state, which would mean overthrowing Somalia’s United Nations-backed government and expelling African Union peacekeeping troops stationed there.