Mogadishu – Somalia militant group, Al-Shabaab, on Friday captured the strategic Balad town, about 30 km north of Mogadishu, the Somali capital, in the latest mid-morning attack, officials said.

Al-Shabaab

A regional member of State Parliament Abdukadir Osman Abdisalan confirmed the attack at Balad town by the militants who also attacked the police station with explosions.

“The fighting is going on at the moment between government troops and al-Shabaab fighters.

“We will update you later,” Abdisalan told Xinhua.

The Horn of Africa country has been at war since 1991, when clan-based warlords overthrew dictator Siad Barre and then turned against each other.

For a decade, the weak UN-backed government has been fighting alongside African Union troops against al Shabaab, which aims to impose its own strict interpretation of Islam. (Xinhua/NAN)