Somalia claims capture of key port town from al-Shabab

Somalia’s government-led forces have captured an al-Shabab stronghold on the Indian Ocean, the defence minister said on Monday, in one of their most significant victories since launching an offensive against the group last year.

The forces took the port town of Harardhere and the nearby town of Galcad, Defence Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur said in a broadcast on state-owned television.