Speaking to Shabelle radio, Abshir Ahmed Ali, an army officer, denied rumors circulating on social media regarding their withdrawal from Runir-God, a town that was recently captured from al-Shabaab
...... the personification of Somali state failure...— an al Qaeda — linked group.
Runir-God, a town in Middle Shabelle region that lies some 264 km away from the capital Mogadishu.
"We are still in the town. We did not vacate from Runir-God town. Our troops will continue hunting al-Shabaab and liberating more towns from the bad boys", Ali added.
The al Qaeda-linked group lost key towns in the region to the recent military operation by Somali national army backed by Ma’wisley, a self-styled militia group.
Being driven from key towns in south and central Somalia, the al-Shabaab group still hold large swaths in rural areas and carry out deadly attack in the capital Mogadishu and elsewhere.