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The Islamist al-Shabaab rebel group in Somalia have withdrawn from the port city of Kismayo - their last stronghold in the country - after an offensive by Kenyan and Somali government forces.
Al Shabaab said the withdrawal on Saturday was a “tactical retreat”.
The announcement came a day after an assault on the city by African Union troops, who had been trying to dislodge the insurgents from the key coastal city for days.
Kenyan troops which are part of the UN-backed Africa Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said Friday they had captured Somali strategic port city of Kismayo, the only remaining bastion of rebel al-Shabaab.
Kenya’s military spokesman Colonel Cyrus Oguna said the port city was taken over by Kenya Defence Forces and Somalia National Army (SNA) on Friday in a combined operation involving Navy, ground and air operations.
“I can confirm the port city of Kismayo was taken over by KDF and SNA forces this morning (Friday) and the details of how the operation was conducted will come later,” Oguna told Xinhua by telephone.
Somalia has promised to find civilian jobs and training for rebels from the radical Islamist group al-Shabaab if they abandon their part in a six year old insurgency.
The new deal comes after around 250 fighters from the al-Qaeda linked group surrendered to pro-government forces over the weekend.
Interior minister Abdisamed Mohamed Hassan appealed to the estimated 6,000 militants occupying areas in the south of the country to give themselves up.
Mali and a West African regional bloc preparing to send troops to help Bamako reclaim the Islamist-seized north reached a partial agreement Sunday over conditions for an eventual deployment, officials said.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been jostling for weeks seeking an end to the Malian crisis, which has raised concerns about regional stability and seen Mali split in two after Islamist extremists seized control of the north after a March coup.
All brigades in Benghazi are to come under full control of the National Army, following an agreement that was struck between leading political and military figures together with local militia heads last night.
Officers from the Army are to be deployed to every militia barracks in Benghazi to assume full command, whilst several of the brigades involved in recent unrest, including Ansar Al-Sharia, are to be disbanded altogether.
Puntland forces have been conducting security operations in Galkayo, the capital of Mudug region, arresting dozons of suspected al-Shabaab members, reports said on Tuesday.
The operations according to Puntand security officer Muhaydin Ahmed Muse who spoke to Shabelle Media, the operations have been to secure the city of Galkayo and to force out al-Shabaab agents active in the city.
In what appeared to be a major victory against the Boko Haram sect, the Joint Military Task Force confirmed, yesterday, that the sect’s spokesman, Abu Qaqa, has been killed, while two other members were arrested after a shootout between the sect and security operatives.
There were, however, different accounts on how the encounter took place.
According to one account, quoting an official of the task force, the shooting occurred yesterday morning in Mariri, a town southeast of Kano, where soldiers stopped a vehicle with the sect spokesman, the commander, the spokesman’s wife and their children, the official said.