Wednesday May 1, 2019
MOGADISHU (Xinhua) -- Somali security forces have recaptured the strategic town of Bariire in southern region from extremist group al-Shabab militants, the government said on Wednesday.
The ministry of information said seized Bariere town located at about 60 km south of Somali capital Mogadishu, after a military operation against the insurgents conducted at dawn.
"Government forces have captured the strategic town of Bariire, Lower Shabelle region from the al-Shabab terrorist group as Somali National Army (SNA) forces to continue eliminating terrorists in Lower Shabelle province," the ministry said in a statement.
The intensified tactical operations on the frontline have been buoyed by the return to normalcy in some liberated areas especially in southern Somalia.
The allied forces ousted al-Shabab from the capital Mogadishu in August 2011, but the terror group which wants to overthrow the UN-backed government and impose its own strict interpretation of Islamic law, is still in control of certain areas in southern Somalia and capable of conducting attacks.