WASHINGTON, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The Pentagon said on Wednesday that the U.S. military carried out a strike on Tuesday against the al-Qaeda-affiliated extremist group al-Shabaab in Somalia.
Calling the strike a "collective self-defense strike operation," the U.S. Africa Command said in a statement that the operation against the al-Shabaab troop concentration occurred about 483 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia.
"We will continue to assess the results of the operation and will provide additional information as appropriate," said the statement, adding that specific details of the operation would not be released to ensure operational security.
Al-Shabaab is responsible for dozens of attacks in east Africa, particularly Kenya.
The U.S. maintains a small force unit of about 50 troops in Somalia, mainly to advise and assist Somalia and African Union mission in Somalia battling Al-Shabaab militants.
