Saturday September 5, 2015
By Mohamed Sheikh Nor
Al-Shabaab insurgents captured the southern Somalian town of Kurtunwarey after the withdrawal of army and African Union peacekeeping troops, a resident said.
“They captured the town’s strategic points such as the police station and government offices,” Hasno Aden said by phone on Friday.Somali army officer Abdullahi Abdi said troops undertook a tactical withdrawal following an attack on the town of Janaale this week. “It is not a complete retreat, but it is a change of tactics,” he said.
Uganda’s army said 12 of its troops were killed in the attack by Islamist militants on an African Union military base Janaale on Sept. 1, about 75 kilometers (46 miles) southwest of the capital, Mogadishu.