US military strikes ISIS in Somalia

U.S. forces conducted an airstrike against ISIS in Somalia on Tuesday, the U.S. military said.

The airstrike happened after the militants attacked partner forces in a remote location near Timirshe in the northeastern part of the country, U.S. Africa Command (Africom) said in a news release Wednesday.

U.S. forces were in the area at the time of the strike “in order to advise and assist Somali and partner forces,” Africom said.

“We continue to apply pressure on terrorist groups and assist our Somali partners in disrupting their operations,” Brig. Gen. Miguel Castellanos, Africom’s deputy director of operations, said in a statement. “We continue our support to rid Somalia of the likes of ISIS and al Shabaab.”

The strike killed seven ISIS members, according to the news release.

The U.S. military does not believe any civilians were injured or killed in the strike, the release added.

Tuesday’s airstrike marks the U.S. military’s first reported one against ISIS in Somalia since October. U.S. forces more often strike al Qaeda affiliate al Shabaab in the country.

There are about 500 U.S. troops in Somalia on a mission of training and advising local forces to fight al Shabaab and ISIS.