Africa

Home page

Africa

Somali Islamists retake southern town

22 October 2010 03:10 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Somali Islamist fighters from Al Shabaab on Thursday took over a southern Somali border town from pro-government forces only days after the area changed hands between the two warring sides, residents said, APA reports quoting Xinhua News Agency.

The town of Bulo Hawo which lies at the common frontier which Somalia shares with both Ethiopian and Kenya was seized by Somali government forces early this week but the area fell into Islamist control following fierce battles between the insurgent fighters and Somali government forces.

"The town is now under Al Shabaab control and Somali government forces withdrew back. We don’t know how things will turn out to be later but for now the town has fallen," Ahmed Weli, a resident in Bulo Hawo told Xinhua by phone.

A number of fatalities have been reported on both sides of the conflict while residents speak about dozens of injured people mainly civilians.

Neither side have officially spoken about the latest development in the southern town which has been an Al Shabaab stronghold before it fell to the government control this week.

Islamist forces have lately been loosing ground to Somali government forces and its allies in Mogadishu and in central and southern regions and this marks the first gains for weeks for the Islamist groups.

Meanwhile, fierce battles have also been reported in the central Somali region of Hiran where government forces and their allies clashed with Islamist fighters on the outskirts of the main trading town of Beledweyn where both sides claim victories.