ESAT News (October 24, 2016)

(Somalia’s soldiers patrol in Afgooye, some 30 kilometres south of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on October 19, 2016.
At least four police officers were killed on October 18 when a suicide bomb attacker rammed an explosives-packed car into a police station before fighters from the Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab group subsequently stormed the area killing at least 10 people, including soldiers and civilians. / AFP PHOTO / MOHAMED ABDIWAHAB)

Fighters from al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab group said Sunday they had retaken control of a town in central Somalia after hundreds of Ethiopian troops serving with the African Union’s AMISOM force withdrew.

It was the third time this month that the Islamist group moved into a town in the region after the departure of Ethiopian forces.

AFP quoted the Al-Shabaab as saying on the smartphone app Telegram that their fighters had “stormed the town (of Halgan) soon after the enemy pulled out” on Sunday.

“The brave fighters of Islam have taken full control of the town, the Islamic flag is waving over the station and the district headquarters,” the statement added.

After leaving Halgan together with Somali army soldiers, situated at a key junction on the road to the capital Mogadishu, the Ethiopian troops headed towards the provincial capital, Beledweyne, AFP quoted according several sources saying.

“The Ethiopian soldiers pulled out of Halgan town this (Sunday) morning. We are getting (reports) that they have destroyed their bases and trenches around the town before heading for Beledweyne,” said Mohamed Nur Adan, a security official in Beledweyne.

“The Ethiopian soldiers vacated their bases this morning, we saw them heading towards Beledweyne. There were tanks and big trucks in their convoy,” witness Osman Adan told AFP by phone.

Halgan, situated about 70 kilometres (40 miles) from Beledweyne, came under assault from the Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab in June.

The Islamists then attacked the Ethiopian army base with a suicide car bomber and gunmen. Scores were reported killed on both sides, however casualty numbers are impossible to verify, according to the report by AFP.

Earlier this month hundreds of Ethiopian troops pulled out of El-Ali — also in the Hiran region — after also withdrawing from nearby Moqokori.

Shabaab forces moved back into both towns after the Ethiopians left.

The report said no explanation has been given by the Ethiopian military or AMISOM.