Reports: Somali, Ethiopian Troops Capture
Key Al-Shabaab Base


28 March, 2012 | RTT News
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    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.

by RTT Staff Writer

For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com

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