The strike took place on Tuesday about 10 kilometers (six miles) southwest of the town of Quyno Barrow, south of Mogadishu, the United States Africa Command (US AFRICOM) said in a statement.
The strike was conducted "in coordination" with Somalia's federal government, it said.
"The command will continue to assess the results of the operation and provide additional information as appropriate," the statement said, providing no further details.
The Somalian government issued a statement lauding a "meticulously planned operation" that was conducted alongside "international partners" in the same district.
That statement said the operation "has successfully eliminated the terrorist ring leader Mohamed Mire Jama, also known as Abu Abdirahman, in the Kunyo-Barow district of Lower Shabelle province."
Somalia is one of the poorest countries on the planet, enduring decades of civil war, a bloody insurgency by the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab, and frequent climate disasters.
Washington has invested massively for several decades in the fight against the insurgency.
During his first term, US President-elect Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of US troops from Somalia, a decision reversed by his successor Joe Biden.
Earlier this week, Egypt said it was joining a new African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia.
The mandate of the current African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) ends on December 31, and it will make way for a new force against the Al-Shabaab insurgents, the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
Gabon jails eight officers accused of torturing soldier to death
Libreville (AFP) Dec 26, 2024 -
Gabon's defence ministry said Thursday that eight officers suspected of torturing to death a young soldier accused of stealing had been detained, in a case that has rocked the junta-led country.
Two generals will also be questioned after an emergency meeting presided by coup leader General Brice Oligui Nguema, according to a ministry statement read on state TV late Wednesday.
Images of the mutilated body of the soldier, Johan Bounda, at a morgue sparked outcry across the Central African nation.
Authorities scrambled to respond with promises of an inquiry, and Oligui himself visited the victim's family on Wednesday, Christmas Day.
Prosecutors say Bounda was accused of attempting to rob a superior's home, with media reports saying he was taken to the headquarters of the military security service, widely known as B2, for torturing.
The junta earlier this month lifted an overnight curfew in force since it seized power in August 2023.
Just days before, police had arrested dozens of young protesters in Libreville for breaching the curfew, with some claiming they had their heads shaved by the authorities as a punishment.
Oligui has promised to return Gabon to civilian rule, and this week a new constitution was decreed after its approval by Gabonese voters in November.
But he has not set a date for new elections, and has made no secret of his presidential ambitions.
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