WASHINGTON: US forces in Somalia conducted three air strikes on Islamist Shabaab targets yesterday, killing six fighters with the Al-Qaeda linked group, the US military said. The pre-dawn operation occurred in southern Somalia about 160 miles south of Mogadishu. The strikes were conducted under powers President Donald Trump gave the Pentagon in March that lets the military take counter-terrorism actions—whether airstrikes or ground raids—when it deems them necessary to support the Somali government. “In coordination with the federal government of Somalia, US forces conducted three precision air strikes in Somalia against al-Shabaab, killing six terrorists,” the US military’s Africa Command said in a statement. --Agencies