Al Shabaab militants have been driven from Mogadishu, Afgooye, Baidoa, Jowhar, Merca and Barawe. (Mohamed Sheikh Nor)
Reuters: Al Shabaab militants re-take Somali town from African Union
Al Shabaab took control of a populous town in central Somalia on Sunday after African Union forces left the area - the third town the Islamist insurgents have seized since Friday, militants and local officials said.
The group, which seeks to overthrow the Western-backed government and impose its strict version of Islamic law, has remained a potent threat in the Horn of Africa country after it was forced from the capital Mogadishu in 2011.
The African Union peacekeeping force, AMISOM, withdraw from Buqda on Saturday night, less than a month after taking control of the town, an economic center of the Hiran region, from al Shabaab.
More News On Al Shabaab
Al Shabaab militants retake two towns in southern Somalia following AMISOM troop withdrawal -- Al Bawaba
Suicide car bomb kills several AU soldiers -- News 24
Somalia: Al Shabaab say attack on AMISOM base was retaliation of civilian massacre -- Horseed Media
Somalia shakes up military leadership amid Al shabaab attacks -- Magreeg
Somalia: Security Council strongly condemns Al Shabaab attack on African Union base -- UN News Centre
Analysis: Al-Shabaab's revenge sparks another crisis in Somalia -- Daily Maverick
