WASHINGTON — The U.S. military carried out a counterterrorism strike Monday against leaders of the militant group al-Shabab in Somalia, Pentagon officials said, although it was unclear whether the operation was successful.

Journalists reported that suspected U.S. drones fired missiles near the port city of Barawe, a stronghold for al-Shabab. In a rare acknowledgment of its clandestine activities in Somalia, the Pentagon said it had conducted a counterterrorism operation there but did not say whether the operation was limited to drone strikes or whether U.S. commandos had been present on the ground.

Nearly one year ago, on Oct. 5, Navy SEALs raided a seaside house in Barawe in an attempt to capture Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulkadir, a senior al-Shabab commander. That raid sparked a gunfight but was unsuccessful; U.S. officials said the SEALs withdrew because the risk of harming bystanders had become too great.

The White House has since posted a $3 million reward for information leading to Abdulkadir’s arrest. The State Department describes him as missing three fingers on his left hand.

The U.S. government’s Voice of America news service, which broadcasts programs to Somalia, reported that a target of the attack may have been the alleged mastermind of al-Shabab’s attack on ashopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, in September 2013. That individual, Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr, also known as Godane, has emerged in recent years as the primary leader of al-Shabab, which has ties to al-Qaida.

VOA reported that Godane was in the vicinity of the attack, but his fate was unknown.

The U.S. military frequently conducts drone surveillance flights over Somalia, but airstrikes and ground raids are relatively uncommon.

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