"On June 11, at approximately 2 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the Department of Defense conducted a strike operation against al-Shabaab in Somalia. The operation occurred approximately 185 miles southwest of Mogadishu. The U.S. conducted this operation in coordination with its regional partners as a direct response to al-Shabaab actions, including recent attacks on Somali forces," the statement read.
The department added that the operation was carried out using powers approved by the US president in March 2017 allowing the military to conduct legal action against the militants.
On Thursday, al-Shabaab attacked a military base in northern Somalia killing at least 38 and injuring another 18.
Somalia has been experiencing violence since the eruption of the civil war between the clan-based armed factions in the country in the early 1990s. Al-Shabaab has been staging numerous attacks in the country in an attempt to establish the strict Sharia law in it.
