MOGADISHU, Somalia — A regional leader of the al-Shabab extremist group has been killed in a raid by Somalia's military, the government announced Sunday, as the country's new offensive against the fighters moves ahead.





The statement by Somalia's information minister said Lower Shabelle regional leader Moalin Osman Abdi Badil and three associates were killed Friday in Bariire village west of the capital, Mogadishu.





There is no immediate comment from the extremist group.





The raid came a day after a U.S. service member was killed while supporting an operation by Somalia's military in the same area. The Pentagon called it the first U.S. combat death in Somalia since 1993. That's when U.S. forces pulled out of the Horn of Africa nation in the wake of the "Black Hawk Down" incident in which two helicopters were shot down and bodies of American soldiers were dragged through the streets.





Both Somalia and the U.S. are stepping up efforts against the Somalia-based al-Shabab, which has carried out attacks in other parts of East Africa and continues to target the Somali capital with deadly bombings.





Somalia's new President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on April 6 declared the country a war zone and launched a new offensive against al-Shabab, while offering the extremists a 60-day amnesty period to surrender.





A Somali soldier patrols next to the burnt-out wreckage of a car that was used by suspected al-shabab fighters on April 16, 2017. Somali security forces shot dead two suspected al-shabab militants, an Al-Qaeda linked extremist group, who were said to be involved in firing rockets. / AFP PHOTO / Mohamed ABDIWAHAB (Photo credit should read MOHAMED ABDIWAHAB/AFP/Getty Images)

× Fear of missing out? Sign up for the Early Bird Brief - a daily roundup of military and defense news stories from around the globe. Thanks for signing up. By giving us your email, you are opting in to the Early Bird Brief.

A Somali soldier patrols next to the burnt-out wreckage of a car that was used by suspected al-Shabab fighters on April 16, 2017.

Photo Credit: Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP via Getty Images

"Leave al-Shabab now," the government statement said Sunday. "Defect, as many of your brothers are beginning to do."





Somalia's military is under growing pressure to take full responsibility for the long-chaotic country's security as a multinational African Union force prepares to start withdrawing in 2018. The U.S. military has been supporting Somalia in recent years with a small number of special operations forces and counter-terror advisers, along with a number of airstrikes against al-Shabab.