U.S. airstrike in Somalia kills seven Islamic State terrorists

July 22 (UPI) -- A U.S. airstrike in northern Somalia killed seven Islamic State members, U.S. African Command said on Wednesday.

The airstrike came after an IS raid "attacked partner forces in a remote location near Timirshe, Somalia" on Tuesday, about 90 miles southeast of the city of Bosasso, AFRICOM said in a statement.

Officials noted that no civilians were killed or injured, and did not mention if U.S. personnel were wounded in the attack.

"We continue to apply pressure on terrorist groups and assist our Somali partners in disrupting their operations," said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Miguel Castellanos, AFRICOM deputy director of operations.

"We continue our support to rid Somalia of the likes of ISIS and al-Shabaab," Castellanos said.

The airstrike was the first reported U.S. airstrike on IS forces in Somalia since October 2019, according to CNN.

The ISIS-Somalia faction is regarded as small, and primarily active in the Puntland region of the country, which includes Timirshe. The U.S. military mission of about 500 troops in Somalia largely concentrates on training local troops against the Al-Qaida affiliate Al-Shabaab.