Renson Mwakandana
An important coastal town in Somalia that had been controlled by al-Shabab militants for more than ten years has now been taken by the military.
The capture of Haradhere, located in the center of Galmudug state, was hailed as a historic achievement by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre. He said that the nation’s enemies had been vanquished.
According to some sources, the Islamist militant gang escaped without a struggle. Al-Shabab is said to have suffered a setback with the loss of the port and supply line.
It has recently lost significant amounts of land to a protracted attack by government soldiers and tribal militias. However, militants with ties to al-Qaeda have frequently reacted with bomb assaults.
