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                   90 Killed as Al-Shabab Takes Somali Island

   by VOA News

   Witnesses in southern Somalia say more than 90 people were killed in
   weekend fighting that saw militant group al-Shabab retake a key island
   in the Lower Juba region.

   Al-Shabab attacked pro-government forces on Kudhaa island before dawn
   Saturday, seizing control of it from the Interim Juba Administration
   (IJA).

   Residents tell VOA that al-Shabab displayed 43 bodies of IJA fighters
   on the beach after the fighting and later executed nine IJA members and
   eight civilians accused of working with the administration.

   Sources tell VOA that al-Shabab lost 31 men in the fighting, bringing
   the death toll to 91.

   Kudhaa, located 130 kilometers southwest of Kismayo, was captured from
   al-Shabab just two weeks ago by pro-government forces.  The militants
   had used the island to export charcoal, a key source of revenue for the
   group.

   Pro-al-Shabab media have reported that the militants seized large
   quantities of weapons in Saturday's fighting, including mortars and
   machine guns.

   An IJA spokesman, Abdinasir Serar, has vowed that his forces will
   recapture Kudhaa.

   Al-Shabab once controlled most of central and southern Somalia but has
   steadily lost ground in recent years to government and African Union
   forces.  The al-Qaida-linked group remains dangerous, and has carried
   out two major attacks this year on the presidential palace in
   Mogadishu.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/al-shabab-takes-somali-island/2514466
   .html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/al-shabab-takes-somali-island/2514466.html