Al-Shabaab Captures Af-Urur Town in Somalia’s Puntland Region

(Bloomberg) -- Al-Qaeda-linked militants captured a town in Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland, after taking over a military base.

Al-Shabaab fighters seized Af-Urur on Saturday after soldiers moved from the base due to a military tactic, Farah Ali, a military officer said by phone.

Islamist Militants Seize Town in Somalia’s Puntland Region

Puntland is situated on the Gulf of Aden, near the entrance to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, one of the world’s busiest shipping channels. Like the rest of Somalia, the semi-autonomous region is battling militants from the al-Shabaab group, an al-Qaeda affiliate.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mohammed Omar Ahmed in Garowe at mahmed76@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Malingha at dmalingha@bloomberg.net, Eric Ombok, Neil Denslow

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.