Al-Shabaab has captured a town in central Somalia that the US-backed federal government has used as a staging ground for battles in the area, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
The town of Adan Yabaal is about 130 miles north of Mogadishu, where the federal government is based. Somali soldiers and residents of Adan Yabaal told Reuters that al-Shabaab captured the town after hours of heavy fighting.
Al-Shabaab has been making gains in its offensive and recently captured villages only 30 miles away from Mogadishu, although they later retreated. The offensive has enough momentum that the US, which backs the government with airstrikes against al-Shabaab, has been discussing the possibility of shuttering its embassy in Mogadishu.
The New York Times recently reported that the Trump administration is divided on how to handle the al-Shabaab offensive. State Department officials have recommended evacuating the embassy as a precaution, while other Trump administration officials are urging that the US escalate its airstrikes and continue propping up the federal government, which appears as weak as ever.
In March, the US launched airstrikes against al-Shabaab, which US Africa Command said were done in support of government forces on the ground. So far, AFRICOM has not reported any airstrikes against al-Shabaab this month, but it has launched at least two strikes against the small ISIS affiliate, which is based in the northeastern Puntland region, an area not under the federal government’s control.
The US has been considering recognizing Somaliland, a de facto independent state in northwest Somalia, but it is not recognized internationally. Somaliland is reportedly offering the US military access to its ports and coasts on the Gulf of Aden, which can be used to launch attacks against Yemen’s Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis.
