A coalition of Ethiopian troops and militia loyal to the U.N.-backed transitional government in Somalia have captured a strategic base in central Somalia from al-Shabaab rebel fighters, media reports citing officials and witnesses said on Monday.
The reports said the central town of El Bur was taken without a fight as al-Shabaab fighters had fled before a heavily armed convoy of Ethiopian troops and pro-government militias of Ahlu Sunnah Waljama entered the town.
El Bur in Galgaduud province has been serving as a key command and control base for al-Shabaab militants in the region for the past three years. The town is located along a key route leading to other towns controlled by al-Shabaab militants, and its capture is expected to open the way to other nearby areas.
Somalia has been without a functioning government since the fall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre's government in 1991. Currently, the weak U.N.-backed interim government set up in 2004 is trying to enforce its authority in Somalia.
Al-Shabaab is Somalia's most prominent and influential Islamist militant unit and is branded a terrorist organization by the United States and most of the international community. The al-Qaeda aligned outfit is the military wing of the Islamist movement ousted by Ethiopia-backed Somali forces in 2006.
Apart from Ethiopian troops and militias aligned to the Somali interim government, the al-Shaaab has come under immense pressure from Kenyan troops as well as U.N.-mandated African Union peacekeepers deployed in the Horn of Africa nation.
Kenyan troops are currently in Somalia as part of a cross-border operation aimed at driving al-Shabaab militants away from the border separating the two nations. Since their arrival in Somalia last year, Kenyan forces have managed to capture several al-Shabaab strongholds.
Also, AU peacekeepers and forces loyal to the interim government have managed to take control of capital Mogadishu and adjoining areas in recent months. Despite the setbacks, al-Shabaab and other allied groups still control large areas in southern Somalia where they enforce strict Islamic laws or Sharia.
Last month, the U.N. Security Council had called for increasing the number of AU peacekeepers deployed in Somalia to 17,731 from its current strength of 12,000, and decided to expand the U.N.'s logistical support package to the force and extend it until October 31.
Even in the face of such adversities, al-Shabaab militants still manage to launch frequent attacks inside Kenya and on security targets and refugee camps in and around Mogadishu. The latest of such attacks targeted a a camp for the displaced near the presidential compound in Mogadishu, killing at least two people.
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