Shabaab fighters seize Somali port: AU troops pulled out after holding it for three-and-a-half years

The loss of the Somali port of Merka to Shabaab insurgents is one of the biggest setbacks for the African Union force

SOMALIA’S Al-Shabaab insurgents retook their former stronghold of Merka on Friday, after African Union troops pulled out of the port they had held for three-and-a-half years, the governor said.

“The AU troops pulled out of the town and Shabaab militants entered—and have secured control without fighting,” Ibrahim Adam, governor of the Lower Shabelle region told reporters.

The loss is one of the biggest setbacks for the AU force in its nearly decade-long battle against the Shabaab.

AFP