Pentagon: Two militants dead in Somali airstrike
Two militants were killed in Somalia as a result of a U.S. airstrike targeting an al Qaeda-linked group and al-Shabab, according to the U.S. military's Africa Command.
The strike occurred early Tuesday, about 30 miles west of the Somali capital of Mogadishu.
The U.S. military said that, in addition to the militant deaths, a “vehicle-borne improvised explosive device” had been destroyed in the strike.
No civilians were killed in the attack, according to the military.
The strike comes after the U.S. urged its nonessential diplomatic personnel to evacuate Mogadishu after it warned of a potential threat.
Al-Shabab has been significantly weakened throughout Somalia in recent years, however, the militant group has continued to fight the country's United Nations-supported government.
The terror group was responsible for a double bombing in Mogadishu that killed over 500 people in October.
Trump administration to cut security assistance to Pakistan: report
The Trump administration is expected to announce Wednesday or Thursday plans to cut off security assistance to Pakistan, according to a Reuters report.
Aides in two congressional offices told Reuters that they were informed of the plans by the State Department on Wednesday, though it was not clear how much or what kind of assistance would be cut.
The White House already announced on Monday that it would continue to withhold $255 million in military aid for Pakistan amid frustration that the country has not done enough to combat terrorism.
President Trump decried U.S. assistance for Pakistan in a tweet on Tuesday, saying Washington pays "billions of dollars" to Islamabad "for nothing."
The reported plan to cut security assistance for Pakistan also comes as the Trump administration seeks more cooperation from Islamabad as part of its strategy in Afghanistan
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