The US military conducted an airstrike against a group of Shabaab militants in Somalia early Wednesday, officials said, the third such action in a month.

The military's Africa Command said the strike occurred at about 1:30 am local time (2230 GMT) some 300 miles (480 kilometers) southwest of Mogadishu.

"Working from actionable intelligence, the Department of Defense conducted a successful collective self-defense strike operation against an al-Shabaab troop concentration," Africom said in a statement.

It was the third US strike on Shabaab Islamist militants since President Donald Trump authorized the Pentagon in March to take counter-terrorism actions -- whether airstrikes or ground raids -- when it deems them necessary to support the Somali government.

Wednesday's strike follows a July 2 attack on Shabaab militants and a June 11 raid of a training center.

It was within the Pentagon's "parameters of authority to engage in collective self-defense of our Somali partners," Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said.

Before Trump broadened the Pentagon's authorities, US military actions in the eastern African country each required high-level review by different agencies.

US special forces have been deployed in Somalia for years. There are currently about 50 US troops there.

Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda linked group, has been fighting since 2007 to overthrow the internationally backed government in Somalia.

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Sweden is home to some 2,000 Islamist extremists, the nation's intelligence chief said Monday, a nearly 10-fold increase in less than a decade. Anders Thornberg, head of domestic spy service Sapo, attributed the rise primarily to the sophisticated propaganda machine of the Islamic State group. Although "few extremists" have "the will and ability" to carry out attacks, they must be foun ... read more

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