 Al-Shabaab fighters have captured the last town bearing signs of government's influence. |
Somali opposition fighters capture the southern town of Baidoa, which was reportedly the only town still controlled by the government.
On Monday, Al-Shabaab fighters scared off the government soldiers and armed militias, taking control of the town, a Press TV correspondent reported.
On Monday, Al-Shabaab fighters scared off the government soldiers and armed militias, taking control of the town, a Press TV correspondent reported.
The fighters subsequently captured the ADC Building which houses the Somali parliament as well as the camps deserted by the Somali military.
"We would like to take over the town without any bloodshed but if local militias decide other ways, we will defeat them…," the fighters' leader, Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansur had earlier warned.
Al-Shabaab fighters affiliated to the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) had earlier taken over major Somali towns and cities including the capital, Mogadishu.
The fall of Baidoa marks an unofficial conquest of the entire country by the UIC, which already holds sway in most parts of the country.
The UIC was removed from power in 2006 after foreign forces were deployed in the country to form a Transitional Federal Government in Somalia. The country has been without a powerful central government since the 1991 ouster of former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
Al-Shabaab fighters affiliated to the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) had earlier taken over major Somali towns and cities including the capital, Mogadishu.
The fall of Baidoa marks an unofficial conquest of the entire country by the UIC, which already holds sway in most parts of the country.
The UIC was removed from power in 2006 after foreign forces were deployed in the country to form a Transitional Federal Government in Somalia. The country has been without a powerful central government since the 1991 ouster of former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
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