HARGEISA, Somalia — A senior Somali intelligence official says United States and local forces have raided a rebel-held village in southern Somalia and killed several al-Shabab extremists.
The official says Somali commandos accompanied by U.S. forces in two helicopters raided two locations early Thursday. They included a detention center run by al-Shabab in Kunya-Barrow village in Lower Shabelle region, and detainees were freed.
The official says troops engaged a small number of extremist fighters. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
There was no immediate comment from the U.S. Africa Command. Both the U.S. and Somalia recently stepped up military efforts against al-Shabab.
Al-Shabab says via its Andalus radio arm that its fighters foiled an attempted raid by U.S. and African forces.
