ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Eight terrorists were killed in the U.S. air attack on suspected al-Qaeda targets in southern Somalia, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi confirmed Wednesday.

    "Eight are dead and there are five wounded terrorists now under the control of our troops," Meles told a press conference.

    He said a total of 20 terrorists were targeted in Monday's U.S. air attack, adding that seven of these 20 terrorists were still at large.

    However, Meles said he cannot confirm the identities of the deceased and wounded.

    "We cannot confirm the identities, they have not been confirmed by proper DNA tests."

    He denied the U.S. air attack hit civilians, but said those killed may include some senior leaders of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), who were ousted by Ethiopian-backed transitional government forces.

    The UIC had taken control of much of central and southern Somalia over the past six months, before being routed from the capital Mogadishu and driven south.

    The United States has long said al-Qaeda suspects, who were linked to the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in East Africa, took refuge in Somalia. It also accuses the UIC of having links with al-Qaeda.