Airstrike targets al Shabaab

Air strikes pummeled Somalia's southern region on Friday, killing six. Among the dead were two leading foreign Jihadists and four of their Somali comrades. The strike comes a day after international leaders met in London to discuss boosting efforts against instability in Somalia.

Reuters/Feisal Omar

The attack was launched against the Islamist militant group, al Shabaab, who largely controls the southern region of the country. 

The aerial attack took place in the Lower Shabelle region, when unidentified warplanes targeted cars with militants inside.

Somali intelligence officials said the foreigners killed in the attack were a Kenyan and an Egyptian.

Residents in the area said the impact from the attack shook the ground.

It remains so far unknown who was behind the strike. Kenya is the most-likely candidate, who launched a military offensive against the Somali rebels in October and has carried out a number of air attacks in southern Somalia.

Al Shabaab, which is reportedly linked to al-Qaeda, is a rebel group that operates in and controls parts of southern Somalia.

With help from the African Union, the Somali government successfully expelled al Shabaab from the capital of Mogadishu last year, but the insurgents still operate with relative impunity outside the city.