A file photo of Somali militia in the Shabelle region. Gunmen on Saturday killed a deputy minister in Somalia's south-central town of Baidoa, witnesses said. (AFP/File/Stringer)From Yahoo News/Reuters:
MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Twelve people were killed on Saturday when an Islamist group seized control of a central Somali town in a battle with hardline al Shabaab militants, residents said.
Al Shabaab, which means youth in Arabic, captured Gurael, 370 km (230 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu on December 6, after three days of fighting with a government-allied moderate Sunni Islamist group in the area.
Locals said the Sunni Islamist group ousted by al Shabaab three weeks ago known as "Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca" had been regrouping and launched their attack Saturday morning.
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