Al-shabab captures remote but key town in central Somalia

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Al Shabab will frame the US troop withdrawal as a victory,

Somalilandsun: aA-Shabab has seized control of the central Somali town of Mahaas on Sunday after an assault involving explosions and a ground offensive.

This comes at a time when the Somalia president is on a visit to Ethiopia.

Mahaas, in the central region of Hiraan, is located about 350 kilometers (220 miles) north of the federal capital, Mogadishu. The town is a key government outpost and a critical center in the fight against al-Shabab, which for years has been fighting to overthrow the federal government and impose Islamic law.