Somali, African troops take key port from Shebab terror group

Somali troops backed by African Union peacekeepers on Sunday recaptured the last major port held by Al Shebab, key to the financing of the Islamist militia. “The army is in full control” of the port of Barawe, 200 kilometres southwest of Mogadishu, the Somali military official Abdi Mire said.

The situation is calm, the militiamen had fled before the forces reached the town.

Provincial governor Abdukadir Mohamed Nur

The Shebab, Al-Qaeda’s main affiliate in Africa, exported charcoal through Barawe to Gulf countries, earning at least US$25 million a year from the trade according to UN estimates. The loss of the port comes a month after Al Shebab’s supreme leader Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed in a US drone and aircraft strike. Al Shebab have vowed to avenge his death and continue their fight to topple the country’s internationally backed government.

Africa Somalia