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Somali, AMISOM forces capture key southern town

07 March 2014 18:41 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Somali government forces and troops from the African Union Mission (AMISOM) took over the strategic town of Hudur in the south of the Horn of Africa country from the militant group of Al-Shabaab, officials and residents said Friday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Following fierce battles between the Al-Qaida linked militants and allied Somali troops and AMISOM peacekeepers, Al-Shabaab lost the control of the town.

AMISOM confirmed that Hudur has been recaptured from Al-Shabaab a day after Rabdhure was taken from the group.

"AMISOM and Somali National Forces have captured Hudur town, regional capital of Bakool province," said AMISOM in a twitter post.

It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties though residents in the area reported that confrontations took place before militants were forced to flee Hudur, a key base for the fighters in southern Somalia.

"The fighting lasted for some time before it died down and columns of Ethiopian and Somali forces entered Hudur," Ali, a resident in Bakool, told Xinhua.

Ethiopia and several other African countries contribute to the UN-authorized AMISOM mission.

The development came in the culmination of preparations by Somali government and AMISOM for a major offensive against Al- Shabaab.

The militant group was ousted from most of southern and central Somalia in 2011, but its fighters maintains control of some rural and urban areas.

The allied forces are expected to move on to another key town of Waajid in the south in efforts to retake all territories from Al-Shabaab.