A U.S. special operations member was killed Thursday fighting terror group Al Shabab -- al-Qaida's third-largest affiliate -- in Somalia, U.S. officials told Fox News.
Fox News is withholding naming the soldier until the next of kin are notified.
"U.S. forces were conducting an advise-and-assist mission alongside members of the Somali National Army" near Barii, about 40 miles west of Mogadishu, according to a statement from U.S. Africa Command.
UPDATED STORY: Special Ops Adviser Killed in Action Against Terror Group in Somalia
Al Shabab "presents a threat to Americans and American interests," the statement said.
CNN reported that two other U.S. service members were also wounded in what it called a small arms attack.
In late March, the White House approved a Pentagon request to conduct offensive operations against Al Shabab in Somalia.
This meant drone strikes and raids were given the green light to happen outside of self defense, which was the previous policy under the Obama administration.
In March, the Department of Homeland Security banned electronics larger than mobile phones on flights from some Muslim nations to the U.S. a year after Al Shabab attempted to bring down an airliner in Somalia using a bomb hidden inside a laptop.
-- Lucas Tomlinson is the Pentagon and State Department producer for Fox News Channel.
