BAIDOA, Somalia — The U.S. military says it has carried out an airstrike in southwestern Somalia that killed 6 members of the al-Shabab extremist group, Garowe Online reports.

The U.S. Africa Command said in a statement, seen by Garowe Online the airstrike occurred Tuesday, 8th January in the vicinity of Yaaq-Barawe, targeting an encampment served as a staging area for the extremists in Bay region.

"We currently assess this airstrike killed six (6) militants and destroyed one vehicle," read the statement in part, adding that no civilians were injured or killed.

This is the 5th reported U.S. airstrike of this new year in Somalia. AFRICOM carried out at least 47 such strikes last year in the Horn of Africa nation, killings many Al-Shabab members.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab continues to control large parts of the country's southern and central regions and stage deadly bombings against high-profile targets in the capital, Mogadishu.

Two American servicemen were killed in southern Somalia last year as U.S. military has sharply increased the number of airstrikes since Trump took office late 2016.

GAROWE ONLINE