MOGADISHU, Somalia  An unidentified military helicopter blasted rockets at a house where Somali militants were meeting on Sunday, according to residents and insurgent leaders, in an apparent strike against the Shabab insurgent group.

Residents in Merca, a seaside town firmly in Shabab hands, said that a foreign military helicopter was flying in low circles overhead on Sunday morning before the attack. The residents said they saw the helicopter coming from the ocean, but they did not see any ships or know what country it belonged to.

According to one Shabab official, the helicopter’s rockets narrowly missed killing several leaders of the group.

Immediately after the attack, the group started blocking the roads in and outside the town and started investigations. They also seized cellphones from local reporters in an effort to ensure that the information did not go beyond Merca, according to residents.