Somali militants abandon key city

11:05, Sep 29 2012

Al Qaida-linked militants in Somalia have pulled out of a key city after it was invaded by Kenyan troops. Residents in Kismayo said they awoke to empty police and government headquarters, which were soon looted by residents. Al-Shabab said on its Twitter feed it pulled out of Kismayo after controlling the city for five years. Colonel Cyrus Oguna, a spokesman for the Kenyan military - which invaded Kismayo on Friday, said ground troops were still verifying whether al-Shabab had withdrawn. Kenyan troops are in the northern part of Kismayo and working their way south. Colonel Oguna said a battle overnight killed five al-Shabab fighters. Kismayo, an important economic centre for the insurgents, was the last major stronghold controlled by al-Shabab. The group was forced out of Mogadishu in August 2011.

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