Al-Shabaab seizes town in central Somalia after SNA pull out

The militant group claimed that 20 Somali government soldiers had died in fighting that occurred in Wisil town in the same region, where a deadly suicide attack happened last week.

News Keydmedia Online
7 July 2021

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Heavily armed Al-Shabab fighters took control of Ba'adweyne in the Mudug region following the pullout of Somali troops and a small number of Galmudug state soldiers early on Wednesday after a brief control.

The allied troops abandoned the town, almost a day after ousting the terrorists who maintain a strong presence in the central region that falls under the Galmudug State of Somalia.

A local resident has confirmed to Keydmedia Online that some families fled from their houses before Al-Shabaab militants traveling in pickup trucks moved into the town in the morning without a fight, fearing reprisal for welcoming SNA.

The reason for the Somali troops' withdrawal was not clear, and their military officials were not immediately available for comment when contacted by KON over the phone.

 Sources say the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab blocked all roads leading in and out, forcing almost all of the residents of the town to leave for the nearby government-held areas.

Meanwhile, the militant group claimed its combatants killed at least 20 Somali government soldiers who had died in fighting that occurred today in Wisil town in the same province.

A suicide bomber donated his vest at a military base in Wisil last month, killing dozens of soldiers and wounding many more in the worst and deadliest attack in the country this year.

KEYDMEDIA English