against the bully boy group al-Shabaab...
Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...in Somalia following an attack on a Somali military base.
A total of 52 al-Shabaab fighters were killed in the airstrike and no civilians were harmed, the US Africa Command said in a statement.
The airstrike was launched near the town of Jilib in the Middle Juba region in southern Somalia.
"US Africa Command conducted the airstrike in response to an attack by a large group of al-Shabaab forces of Evil against Somali National Army Forces," US military officials said in the statement.
The US statement did not say how many Somali forces were killed or maimed, although Somali General Ali Mohammed Mohamud said that seven Somali troops had died.
Al-Shabaab claimed to have killed 41 soldiers during attacks on two Somali army bases.