U.S. strikes al Shabaab training camp in Somalia, more than 150 killed

The U.S. military carried out a drone strike over the weekend targeting a training camp run by Somali Islamist group al Shabaab about 120 miles north of capital Mogadishu over the weekend, killing more than 150 fighters, the Pentagon said on Monday.

"It was a successful strike," said Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis, adding U.S. intelligence indicated the group was preparing for a "large scale attack" and posed a threat to U.S. and African Union forces in Somalia.

The al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab was pushed out of Mogadishu by African Union peacekeeping forces in 2011 but has remained a potent antagonist in Somalia, launching frequent attacks in its bid to overthrow the Western-backed government.