US says drone strike kills 5 in Somalia

The United States military claims to have killed five militants by a drone strike in Somalia.

The US Africa Command (Africom) confirmed to the Associated Press Sunday that the airstrike was launched near al-Bur, according to various reports on Monday.

A vehicle carrying senior officials with the al-Shabab terrorist group was reportedly targeted and a woman was among the dead.

While the militant group has not officially commented on the report, media outlets close to al-Shabab reported that two civilians were killed.

The US, meanwhile, claimed that no civilians were killed in the strike.

There has been a sharp rise in the number of US drone strikes around the world since Trump took office, according to a report published in December by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

Local sources say civilians have been the main victims of the attacks.

SS