Somali militants lose town to African Union troops
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — African Union troops in Somalia say they have captured a town previously controlled by al-Shabab, extending a string of recent victories against the al-Qaida-linked militants.
The African Union Mission in Somalia said in a statement Wednesday that the town of Eel Buur in Galgaduud region had been taken from al-Shabab after three days of fighting.
The statement said Eel Buur is one of ten major towns that African Union and government forces have taken since the offensive started a month ago.
After al-Shabab was ousted from the capital, Mogadishu, in 2011, the militants retreated to rural towns where they still hold sway.
Despite losing a lot of ground, however, al-Shabab is still able to launch deadly assaults in Mogadishu and elsewhere in Somalia.