Somalia claims capture of key port town from al-Shabab

The federal government and allied clan militias have pressured the rebels from swathes of territory, within the newest offensive.

Somali navy march at a Ministry of Defence compound in Mogadishu, Somalia in April 2015 [Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP Photo]

Somalia’s government-led forces have captured an al-Shabab stronghold on the Indian Ocean, the defence minister mentioned on Monday, in one among their most important victories since launching an offensive towards the group final 12 months.

The forces took the port city of Harardhere and the close by city of Galcad, Defence Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur mentioned in a broadcast on state-owned tv.

Harardhere was a significant base for pirates hijacking service provider ships till 2011. It was later taken over by al-Shabab, which first rose up towards the federal government in 2007 earlier than pledging its allegiance to al-Qaeda.

“Haradhere and Galcad districts have been taken from the palms of the al-Shabab terrorists,” Nur mentioned. “This implies al-Shabab is overpowered and gone. The remaining cities will even be liberated quickly.”

Al-Shabab’s spokespeople couldn't instantly be reached for remark.

The federal government and allied clan militias have pressured the rebels from swathes of territory in central Somalia since launching a significant offensive final August.

The successes have led some officers to say al-Shabab is on its final legs. Nonetheless, consultants have cautioned that the group has been pushed out of main cities earlier than solely to regroup and reclaim areas the military doesn't have the capability to carry.

“The make or break will not be within the offensive part, however in all the pieces that comes after that,” mentioned Omar Mahmood, Worldwide Disaster Group’s senior analyst for East Africa. “Al-Shabab is certainly below strain however they play a protracted sport.”

The group has responded to the navy strain with a collection of high-profile assaults within the capital Mogadishu and different cities, together with automobile bombs this month that killed not less than 35 folks.

Hassan Mohamed, a former navy officer, mentioned the federal government ought to replicate its cooperation with clan-based militias throughout the nation.

“Al-Shabab could be extinct if authorities and clans had been launching assaults in all the nation on the identical time,” he advised Reuters.