Al-Shabab Militants Seize Ceelbuur Town in Central Somalia

Militants of the al-Shabab terrorist group occupied the town of Ceelbuur located in the central part of Somalia soon after pullout of the Ethiopian troops of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) from the town, according to local media reports.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Militants of the al-Shabab terrorist group have captured the town of Ceelbuur located in the central part of Somalia after the Ethiopian troops of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) left the settlement, local media reported Monday.

Earlier in the day, the Ethiopian troops left the city, however no explanation of the pullout had been given.

According to the Somalian Mareeg news website, the town in the Galguduud region was occupied by the militants from the group affiliated with al-Qaeda terrorist organization, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia. soon after the pullout.

The news outlet added that the town located some 110 miles to the north of Mogadishu was a base of Ethiopian troops since 2013.

The eastern African country has been experiencing violence since Somalia devolved into civil war in the early 1990s. The state’s collapse provided a breeding ground for warlords, pirates and al-Shabab.

AMISOM was deployed in the country in 2007. According to the mission's website, its military component included troops from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.