Somalia's government troops retake El Wak town from Al Shabaab

Somalia’s government troops on Saturday recaptured the town of El Wak, South of the country a day after it was seized by Al Shabaab fighters on Friday.

The fighters first started with a raid of a military base, killing dozens and pushing residents out of the town, before taking’ complete control of El Wak.

With the help of African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), government troops managed to regroup and carry out an overnight attack that pressed the militants out of the town in the early hours of Saturday.

There are conflicting numbers as to how many Somali soldiers were killed during the attack, however some reports put the number at six.

The fighters reportedly wore Kenyan military uniforms and arrived in vehicles stolen from the Kenyan army.

El Wak is a strategic town located near the Somali border with Kenya, also a main supply route for Kenyan troops operating in southwestern Somalia. Al Shabaab lost the town in 2011 when Kenyan troops crossed border into Somalia.

AFP