MOGADISHU, Somalia – The United States military for the second straight day is announcing a drone strike that killed al-Shabab extremists in Somalia. The U.S. Africa Command says the strike on Wednesday killed four "terrorists" near Jamaame in Lower Juba region in the south. The statement says the U.S. assesses no civilians were killed. The U.S. on Wednesday said a drone strike killed three al-Shabab extremists near Jilib town in Middle Juba region earlier this week. This latest U.S. drone strike is the fifth this year in Somalia.

Anthony Falvo, tells The Associated Press that "no civilians were anywhere near the site." He says he does not have the identity of the al-Shabab member killed.

A 22,000-strong multinational African Union force known as AMISOM has been helping to support Somalia's fragile central government after more than two decades as a failed state. Both it and the U.S. military are trying to prepare Somalia's armed forces to take over the country's security before AMISOM's planned departure by the end of 2020.