Somali government officials confirmed on Tuesday that The United States has launched an air strike against an suspected al-Qaeda cell in a village of southern Somalia.

Officials of the transitional government said that U.S. AC-130 gunship, operated by the Special Operations Command, flew from its base in Djibouti to the southern tip of Somalia, where the al- Qaeda suspects were believed to have fled from the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

"We can confirm that US gunships raided targets in a village in southern Somalia late on Monday," government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said by telephone from Baidoa where the transitional government is based.

"The target was a small village called Badel. And the gunship did hit the exact target so the operation was successful," Dinari said.

He said several people were killed in the raid that took place days after Supreme Council of Islamic Courts, which took control of much of central and southern parts of the country in the past six months, was routed by soldiers of Somalia's transitional government.

"Dozens of people are believed to have been killed. So many dead people were lying in the area," Dinari said.

Source: Xinhuachip SET 50 index shed 12. 44 points to close at 428.73.

On Monday, foreign businessmen said they opposed the measure on the basis that the new rules would undermine investors' confidence and may trigger withdrawal of foreign investment activities from Thailand.

Depending on the sectors in which they operate, foreign investors will be given one to two years to reduce their ownership and voting rights in compliance with the new regulations.

Source: Xinhua