August 27, 2012
African Union and Somali troops captured the key port of Marka from al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab militants on Monday (August 27th), officials said.
"We have taken Marka; we entered alongside the Somali government forces this morning," said Colonel Ali Aden Hamud, spokesman for the African Union Mission in Somalia.
"There was some fighting, but not so heavy; most of al-Shabaab had fled," he said, according to AFP.
The loss of Marka, 70 kilometres south of Mogadishu, is a major blow for al-Shabaab, which has suffered many strategic losses in recent months. Marka is the fourth regional capital to be liberated from the grip of al-Shabaab this year -- after Beledweyne, Baidoa and Hudur.
With this latest defeat, al-Shabaab retains control of only two major ports in southern Somalia -- Barawe and Kismayo -- although an international naval blockade has greatly squeezed maritime access there.
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somalians must be set free from the babaric terorist Al-Shabab.
The need for curbing terrorism has increased, prompting the Somali government and its Western counterparts to jointly take severe measures. Most notably, these measures include imposing restrictions on young people traveling to Somalia with the aim of joining the terrorist groups, or who intend to undergo training at terrorist camps. In addition, other measures include keeping an eye on the Somali community in the UK, as well as monitoring correspondences between individuals to unveil any potential violations that could help terrorists perpetrate successfully their plots. Likewise, the Somali government is now heavily involved in the war against terrorism through the adoption of a new constitution, which is meant to be the epicenter of a genuine political process in Somalia. The constitution is also a reflection of freedom of speech and intellectual pluralism. In turn, these changes will help create a favorable environment for the elimination of terrorism. On the other hand, the biggest challenge was the pirates who have established a safe haven for themselves along the Somali shoreline and are endangering seafaring activities in the Arab Sea. The pirates are also posing a threat to oil tankers heading to the United States and Europe. As a result, there has been a fruitful collaboration between the Somali government and its counterparts in the Arab Gulf, United States and France in order to find solutions that could help eradicate the piracy phenomenon, which is still jeopardizing the region’s security to date.