20100122
press tv

Somalia's main opposition fighters, Al-Shabab, have regained control of the strategic central Somali town of Beledweyene, witnesses say.

Heavily armed Al-Shabab fighters entered the key town in the Hiiraan region north of the capital Mogadishu on Friday with little resistance from pro-government fighters of Ahlu Sunnah Wal-Jama'a, a Press TV correspondent quoted locals as saying.

The fall of the town, over 330 kilometers north of the capital, comes as Ahlu Sunnah fighters continue to engage rival group Hizbul-Islam, positioned south of Beledweyne.

There are no exact figures on the casualties of the latest clash as residents give conflicting accounts of the number of fatalities.

Around 150 people lost their lives, in the past two weeks alone, in conflicts over control of the town, which sits across the border with Ethiopia and connects Mogadishu to northern parts of the country.