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Al-Shabaab take control of Mataban district in Hiiraan region
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    Monday April 18, 2022



    Beledweyne (HOL) - Al-Shabaab fighters have taken control of Mataban district in the Hiiraan region on Monday, according to local residents.

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    Mataban residents confirmed to HOL that Al-Shabaab fighters took complete control of the strategic gateway city that links central and southern Somalia without meeting any resistance following a withdrawal of government forces from the area.

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    It is not apparent why the government security abandoned the town to Al-Shabaab fighters. 

    Al-Shabaab fighters are reportedly controlling the local police station and the regional administrative office.

    Mataban is 60km northeast of the Hiiraan capital Beledweyne.

    In mid-December, the Al Qaeda-linked military insurgency group Al-Shabaab briefly captured Mataban following a withdrawal of Galmudug state forces. The town was recaptured by government troops less than a day later.

    Since being ousted from the capital over a decade ago, Al-Shabaab has been waging war against Somalia's internationally-backed government.
     

     





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