Somali troops and AU forces recapture Merca port from Al Shabab

Somali government troops and the African Union force in Somalia (AMISOM) have on Saturday taken control of the strategic port of Merca, which is about 100 km south of Mogadishu.

“The Somali forces and peacekeepers of AMISOM took control of Merca and now the situation has returned to normal. There were brief exchanges of gunfire, but the militants ran away,” an official of the Somali army reached by telephone from Mogadishu told the AFP.

Al Shabab on Friday took control of the Port of Merca. Governor of the region, Ibrahim Adam said the militant group gained control of the area without confrontation.

“African Union peacekeeping force left the city and Al-Shabab entered without fighting and took control of the city,” he said.

The port of Merca has been under the control of the government since August, 2012.