The town of Jaale, which has been under the control of al-Shabaab, for the last time was taken over today by the Somali National Army.
The commander of the Somali National Army, Brigadier General Abdihamid Mohamed Dirir, has announced that the country’s forces have officially taken over the town of Janaale in Lower Shabelle, adding that security forces are conducting further investigations.
The commander urged residents in the city of Janaale to remain calm and work closely with the security forces.
Reports indicate that Al-Shabaab had already left the area when the troops approached, but they carried out attacks and bombings during the arrival of the troops.
The Janaale area has been under the control of Al-Shabaab for the last four years, on September 1, 2015, when Al-Shabaab launched an attack on the AMISOM base, killing Ugandan soldiers. After the attack, with heavy losses to AMISOM troops, they began to withdraw.
Al-Shabaab has not yet commented on the capture of the government forces in Janaale and it is feared that they are planning a deadly assault.