Kenyan army soldiers ride in a vehicle at their base in Tabda, inside Somalia. —AP Photo

MOGADISHU: Two officials in Somalia say an overnight air attack has killed four militants in southern Somalia.

One official on Friday said the overnight attack happened in the Lower Shabelle region, where the al-Qaeda linked militant group al-Shabab controls wide swaths of territory. The Somali military official said a Kenyan commander named Akram was among the four killed. The official said he could not be named for security reasons.

A second Somali intelligence official confirmed the attack but also could not be named.

Kenya's military has launched multiple airborne attacks in southern Somalia since Kenyan troops moved into the region in October. A Kenyan military spokesman did not immediately respond to phone calls for comment.