U.S. military says strike kills nine militants in Somalia

NAIROBI (Reuters) - The U.S. military said it killed nine militants in an air strike targeting al Shabaab in Lebede, Somalia, as part of its operations to support the government's efforts to weaken the militant group.

The military's Africa Command (Africom) said the strike was carried out on Friday. "We currently assess this airstrike killed nine militants with no civilians involved," Africom said in a statement late on Saturday.

The United States carries out periodic air strikes in Somalia in support of a U.N.-backed government there, which has been fighting against an al-Shabaab insurgency for years.

(Reporting by Omar Mohammed; editing by Darren Schuettler)