UN chief expresses concern over US airstrikes in Somalia

United Nations Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern that airstrikes launched by the United States in Somalia over the weekend may result in an escalation of hostilities, his spokeswoman Michele Montas said on Tuesday.

The UN chief is also concerned about the impact on civilians in southern Somalia and regrets the reported loss of civilian lives, Montas told a press briefing.

Five to 10 people were killed in the airstrikes on a target "believed to be associated with al-Qaida," AP reported, quoting an unidentified U.S. intelligence official.

Montas said the UN is planning to send an assessment team to the Kenya-Somalia border on Thursday to look into the possibility of resuming humanitarian deliveries into Somalia.

At least 4,700 internally displaced persons at the border are in critical need of food, shelter, medicine and basic supplies, Montas said, quoting the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Humanitarian operations were suspended in the area and international staff evacuated when the recent fighting erupted last month.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman confirmed on Tuesday that a US Air Force AC-130 on Sunday targeted what was believed to be " principal al-Qaida leadership" in southern Somalia but declined to discuss damage assessments.