(CNN) The US military announced Monday that an airstrike in Somalia killed 35 Al Shabaab fighters on Sunday.

That means at least 180 fighters from the al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group have been killed in 22 airstrikes so far in 2019, according to figures released by US Africa Command, which oversees US military operations on the continent.

The latest strike took place about 23 miles east of Beledweyne, Hiran Region. US Africa Command said the airstrike targeted the fighters as they "were transitioning between locations in a rural area."

"We continue to support our Somali partners, especially when their operations provide us opportunities to take the fight to Al Shabaab as an element of our partnered strategy," said Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Gregg Olson, US Africa Command director of operations, in a statement.

"In the case of this strike, we interrupted an Al Shabaab attempt to mass their forces. Precision strikes eliminated a potential threat to our partners and to the people of Somalia well before the terrorists ever got themselves organized," he added.

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