MOGADISHU (SD) -Unknown number of al-Shabaab militants have been killed and several other wounded after US military carried out an air strike against the group in central Somalia, Somali and US officials confirmed.

 In a statement, Pentagon spokeswoman Cindi King said the attack happened strike in a village outside Galkayo, a town located 700 kilometers northeast of Mogadishu.

“The US military command for Africa (Africom), in coordination with the Somali government, conducted one airstrike in the vicinity of Galkayo, Somalia against al-Shabaab,” King said.

The casualties of the attack have not yet been disclosed.

“A battle-damage assessment is still pending due to the ongoing engagement between al-Shabaab and Somali forces; however, the command’s initial assessment is that no civilians were injured or killed as a result of this strike,” she added. 

The Somali government also confirmed the strike in a statement, noting that it occurred at 11:05 a.m. local time in the Galmudug State of the country “to protect the brave commandos of the Somali National Army.”

The U.S. carried out 63 airstrikes against al-Shabaab in 2019 and 53 airstrikes in 2020.

Another seven airstrikes were launched in the first two-and-a-half weeks of 2021, before former U.S. President Donald Trump left office.