Al-Shabaab takes over town after Somali troops withdraw

[Deeq A.]

Al-Shabaab militants took over a town close to the capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, officials said, after government troops withdrew from the area.

Toratorow, in Lower Shabelle, which is about 100 km from Mogadishu was recaptured by the Somali national army [SNA] on Monday without a battle following Al-Shabaab pull out.

The town has been controlled by Al-Shabaab for many years and it serves as the main tax and revenue collections center in south-central Somalia.

For a decade, the weak U.N.-backed government has been fighting alongside African Union troops AMISOM against Al-Shabaab which still controls large parts of the country.

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