Al Shabaab has taken control of a key town in central Somalia on Sunday immediately after the pull out of Ethiopian troops stationed there by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
Al Shabaab takes over Somali town after Ethiopian troop pull out
Local reports indicate that hours after the pull out from Halgan, Al Shabaab militants besieged the town and took over police and administrative buildings without any confrontation.
BREAKING: Early Sunday Al shabab Militants recaptures Halgan Village, Hiran, after Ethiopian Forces vacated from the Village— Khadar Mohamud Hared (@khadarmh) October 23, 2016
Halgan is a key operational center for AMISOM where the local army and Ethiopian soldiers engage the Islamist group.
This is the second town Ethiopian troops have pulled out from in a month for unclear reasons but suspected to be linked to domestic unrest in their country.
Several deadly attacks have been launched in Halgan and the town located in the provincial capital of Hiiraan has once been occupied by Al Shabaab.