MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A U.S. military drone strike has killed three members of the al-Shabab extremist group in Somalia, the U.S. Africa Command said Wednesday.

The airstrike was carried out Tuesday morning local time in the Bay region, about 75 kilometers (45 miles) west of the capital, Mogadishu, the U.S. statement said.

The strike was carried out in support of Somali army forces and African Union forces operating in the area, the statement said.

"We assess no civilians were anywhere near the site," a spokesman for the U.S. Africa Command, Anthony Falvo, told The Associated Press.

The U.S. military has carried out several airstrikes against fighters with the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab in the Horn of Africa nation since President Donald Trump approved expanded military operations against the group.

That includes more aggressive airstrikes and considering parts of southern Somalia areas of active hostilities.