Islamist group captures key areas in north of Mogadishu

[Deeq A.]

MOGADISHU (Caasimada Online) — The Islamist group Al-Shabab fighters have seized control of key areas near Bal’ad town, some 30km north of Somali capital Mogadishu.

The group’s masked militants flooded to three villages near the town on Saturday after Somali army forces and African Union troops suddenly pulled out, a witness said.

He says heavily armed Al-Shabaab fighters had re-seized all Mukay, Dheere and Yaaq areas near Bal’ad town.

“Hundreds of gun-toting Al-Shabab fighters have moved back into in villages near Bal’ad town without fighting or firing a single shot after the coalition forces withdrew”, he said.

He says the Islamist group’s fighters raised its flags inside the areas and started to preach to residents and warning to collaborate with Somali forces and African Union troops.

It remains unclear the withdrawal made by Somali army forces backed African Union peacekeepers in Somalia.

The group was ousted from the capital, Mogadishu, in August 2011, but still has a presence in large areas of southern Somalia and often stages attacks across Somalia.

Somalia has remained in the grip of on-again, off-again violence since the outbreak of civil war in 1991.

Al-Shabaab, which is waging an insurgency against the Somali government, has recently suffered several significant blows, losing most of its strongholds in southern and central to Somalia army and and African Union troops.

Caasimada Online
Mogadishu News Desk
Caasimada@live.com