WASHINGTON, March 3: The United States said on Monday that it has bombed a suspected Al Qaeda base in southern Somalia and will continue to target terrorist bases in other parts of the world as well.

“As we have repeatedly said, we will continue to pursue terrorist activities and their operations wherever we may find them,” Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters in Washington.

US military officials said they used precision missiles at the target on Sunday to hit “a known Al Qaeda terrorist” but did not say if they got the man.

Mr Whitman, however, clarified that the United States works closely with partners in the region in the conduct of military operations.

“We share common goals with respect to fighting terrorism,” he said. “We will continue to seek out, identify, capture and, if necessary, kill terrorists where they plan their activities, carry out their operations or seek safe harbour.” These are not the first US military operations in Somalia, he added.

US media reports identified the target as a residential compound near Dhoobley, a town close to the Kenyan border. Terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda operations in East Africa used this facility, the reports said.

CNN reported that the strike destroyed two houses — killing three women and three children, and wounding another 20 people. The remains of the missiles were marked “US K.”

A US military official told CNN that the Pentagon is still collecting post-strike information and is not yet able to confirm any casualties.

He described Monday’s strike as “very deliberate” and said forces tried to use caution to avoid hitting civilians.

Other US media outlets reported that a senior religious activist, Hassan Turki, was in Dhoobley on Sunday to mediate between his fighters and a militia loyal to the government. Turki’s forces took over Dhoobley last week.

The United States conducted similar strikes in southern Somalia in January 2007 against Al Qaeda targets, hoping to kill some of the militants suspected in the 1998 attacks against the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

US officials later confirmed they failed to achieve that goal.

The 2007 targets also included members of the Islamic Courts Union, who had recently been driven out of power in Somalia by Ethiopian-backed Somali troops.

Washington accuses the Somalian Islamic movement of harbouring fugitives from the Al Qaeda terrorist network, including a suspect in the 1998 embassy bombings.