Mogadishu: Five al-Shabab terrorists were killed in a joint US-Somali airstrike in southern Somalia, the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) has said.

No civilians were hurt in the latest drone strike on Tuesday, which targeted al-Shabab militants near Janaale, AFRICOM said in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

"While we currently assess that this airstrike injured no civilians, we are aware of social media reports alleging civilian casualties resulting from this strike," said the statement issued on Tuesday night.

Al-Shabab, which was routed from Mogadishu in 2011 by the 22,000-strong African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), has abandoned most of its strongholds but still controls vast rural areas. It remains a major threat to peace in Somalia and sometimes carries out attacks in neighboring Kenya.