Somalia's Al Shabaab seize strategic town
Somalia's Islamist insurgent group Al-Shabaab said it seized a strategic location in central Somalia on Sunday after intense fighting with government forces, a claim confirmed to AFP on Monday by locals in nearby areas.
Somalia has been battling the Al-Shabaab insurgency for around two decades but the militants still control vast swathes of the country.
In a statement, Al-Shabaab claimed it "took control of the strategic area of Teedaan in eastern Hiiraan...following intense fighting on its outskirts".
The group said it had also seized "weapons, vehicles and other military equipment".
Locals reached by phone confirmed to AFP on Monday that Teedaan was captured on Sunday after nearly 24 hours of fighting.
"By Sunday afternoon, government forces and local militias had vacated their positions in Teedaan...after which Al-Shabaab fighters entered and took control," Hassan Ciyow, a traditional elder from a nearby town, told AFP.
Teedaan lies along a major road linking several localities in Hiiraan to Galgaduud and Middle Shabelle regions. Control of the area could ease Al-Shabaab's movements and allow the group to collect revenue by taxing private and commercial vehicles using the route.
Ciyow told AFP the clashes caused casualties on both sides.
Adan Yusuf, a member of the local militia, said government forces had established new positions on the outskirts of Teedaan, while Al-Shabaab fighters were already "digging trenches in the village."
The Somali government has not responded to the capture of Teedaan, but on Saturday President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told parliament that the Al-Shabaab group was "facing one of its most difficult periods since its formation, with its military, economic and social influence steadily declining".
Last month, Somalia's army and allied militias suffered a major setback after Washington announced plans to end funding for UN logistics support by the end of the year, a key pillar of the African Union mission AUSSOM's operations against Al-Shabaab.
