BELEDWEYNE (KAAB TV) – Al-Shabaab militants seized control of Tardo, a town in central Somalia’s Hiiraan region, on Monday after local Ma’awiisley forces reportedly withdrew without resistance.
The town’s commissioner, Osman Hussein Guure, confirmed the development, stating that government-aligned forces vacated the area earlier in the day.
“We have withdrawn from the town and are now stationed a short distance away,” Chairman Guure told reporters, adding that the retreat was part of a strategic maneuver and that the situation may shift again soon.
Tardo is the second town in Hiiraan to fall into Al-Shabaab’s hands in recent weeks.
On July 6, the militant group captured Moqokori — another strategic location previously under Ma’awiisley control — following a deadly attack that began with bomb blasts.
The back-to-back advances by Al-Shabaab in Hiiraan have sparked growing concern among local communities, who fear further instability as the group intensifies its operations in the region.