Al-Shabaab take control of Mataban district in Hiiraan region
Monday April 18, 2022
Beledweyne (HOL) - Al-Shabaab fighters have taken control of Mataban district in the Hiiraan region on Monday, according to local residents.
Mataban residents confirmed to HOL that Al-Shabaab fighters took complete control of the strategic gateway city that links central and southern Somalia without meeting any resistance following a withdrawal of government forces from the area.
It is not apparent why the government security abandoned the town to Al-Shabaab fighters.
Al-Shabaab fighters are reportedly controlling the local police station and the regional administrative office.
Mataban is 60km northeast of the Hiiraan capital Beledweyne.
In mid-December, the Al Qaeda-linked military insurgency group Al-Shabaab briefly captured Mataban following a withdrawal of Galmudug state forces. The town was recaptured by government troops less than a day later.
Since being ousted from the capital over a decade ago, Al-Shabaab has been waging war against Somalia's internationally-backed government.
