Al-Shabab fighters have taken full control of the southern town of Hudur after Ethiopian troops vacated the town.
MOGADISHU (RBC) Somalia’s al-Shabab fighters have taken full control of the southern town of Hudur at southern Somalia’s Bakool region after Ethiopian troops vacated the town, residents say.
“Hudur (in the southern Bakool region of Somalia) is now under the control of the al-Shabab fighters again after the Ethiopian soldiers moved out late last night,” said a resident on Sunday.
Another resident said that “The Somali government troops also went along with the Ethiopian soldiers, as well as some civilians who feared for their lives.”
The group also took over Awdinle town of Baay region, some 200 Kms far from the capital Mogadishu after heavy fighting between the Islamist fighters and the government forces backed by African Union Forces on Sunday.
This comes after African Union (AU) troops along with Somali government forces took control of the town of Burhakaba, a former stronghold of al-Shabab fighters on February 27. The strategic town is located some 190 kilometers (120 miles) south of the capital, Mogadishu.
In December 2006, al-Shabab began attempting to topple various configurations of the country’s former Transitional Federal Government (TFG).
In the process, al-Shabab militants fought against the Ethiopian forces that had invaded Somalia on a so-called mission to prop up the TFG.
In August 2012, the Federal Government of Somalia took over from the embattled TFG, which had failed to patch up warring armed groups and restore peace despite support from the African and Western governments.
The al-Shabab group has vowed to topple President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who took office in September, 2012 after being chosen by the country’s new parliament.
Source: RBC Radio + Press TV
Use Facebook to Comment on this Post
