Somali forces take key coastal town from al-Shabab

The military in Somalia has captured a strategic coastal town that al-Shabab jihadists had held for more than a decade.

Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre described the taking of Haradhere, in central Galmudug state, as an historic victory.

He said the enemy of the nation had been destroyed.

Other officials said the Islamist militant group fled without putting up a fight.

The loss of the port and supply route is seen as a set-back for al-Shabab.

In recent months it has lost swathes of territory during a sustained offensive by government forces working with clan militias. But the al-Qaeda-linked insurgents have responded with frequent bomb attacks.