By:REUTERS AND HORNDIPLOMAT
MOGADISHU – Al-Shabaab militants have captured the strategic central Somali town of Adan Yabaal following a major assault on Wednesday morning, in a blow to government forces and local militia who had been using the area as a key staging ground in the fight against the al Qaeda-linked group.
The town, located approximately 220–245 kilometers north of Mogadishu, was overrun by the extremist group after an intense battle that began shortly after dawn. According to Garowe Online, the militant group seized control of the town from the Somali National Army (SNA) and the Macwisley, a local clan-based militia that has been supporting government counterterrorism operations.
Residents described scenes of chaos as the attack unfolded.
“After early morning prayers, we heard a deafening explosion, then gunfire,” said Fatuma Nur, a mother of four, speaking to Reuters by phone from Adan Yabaal. “Al-Shabaab attacked us from two directions. I am indoors and fighting is still going on.”
The outcome of the battle was not immediately clear, with government forces and al Shabaab giving conflicting accounts.
Captain Hussein Olow, a military officer in Adan Yabaal, told Reuters that government troops had pushed back the militants.
Al Shabaab, which has waged an insurgency since 2007 to seize power and rule based on its strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, said in a statement that its forces had overrun 10 military installations and captured the town.
National government officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The fighting comes as the future of international security support to Somalia has grown increasingly precarious.
A new African Union peacekeeping mission replaced a larger force at the start of the year, but its funding is uncertain, with the United States opposed to a plan to transition to a U.N. financing model.
SOURCE:REUTERS AND HORNDIPLOMAT
