WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About a dozen suspected militants from the al Qaeda-linked group al Shabaab were killed in U.S. air strikes in southern Somalia on Monday and Tuesday, the Pentagon said.

Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said those targeted posed an “imminent threat to U.S. personnel.” He said the strikes were carried out by unmanned aircraft.

Last month the U.S. military targeted an al Shabaab training camp in Somalia in an air strike that the Pentagon says killed more than 150 fighters.

The militant group, which seeks to impose a strict version of sharia law, was pushed out of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, by African Union peacekeeping forces in 2011 but has remained a potent force in the country.

It has launched frequent attacks aimed at overthrowing the Western-backed government, targeting security and government forces, hotels and restaurants.