MOGADISHU, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Somalia and the U.S. conducted an airstrike against al-Shabab terrorists in the southern region of Somalia on Friday and killed three militants, a Somali government official said.

Ismael Mukhtar Omar, the spokesman of the Somali government, told Xinhua that Somalia in coordination with the United States conducted an airstrike on al-Shabab combatants who attacked Somali Special Forces (Danab) and Somali National Army (SNA) forces conducting patrols near the town of Bariire, around 45 kilometers west of Mogadishu, killing 3 al-Shabab militants.

The U.S. Africa Command (Africom) which oversees American troops on the African continent said no civilians were injured or killed as a result of this latest airstrike.

This is the first airstrike in 2020 in Somalia after the U.S. military carried out a record of 63 airstrikes in the Horn of Africa nation in 2019.

The U.S. strikes have largely targeted al-Shabab figureheads based in southern and central Somalia where the group still maintains a strong grip in some regions.

The extremists have recently increased their attacks especially in Mogadishu targeting hotels and other public places.