MOGADISHU, May 25: African Union and Somali troops have captured the strategic town of Afgoye from Al Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents without major resistance, declaring a military breakthrough, officials said on Friday.

“We have crossed the River Shabelle and we are now there in Afgoye, we hold the town,” African Union army spokesman Paddy Ankunda said.

“We have been fighting since Tuesday to achieve this objective and we have achieved it now.”

“There was some brief resistance but we have crushed that,” said Somali army commander Mohamed Abdullah.

Columns of AU and Somali troops backed by tanks launched the long-awaited attack on Afgoye four days ago, marching 30km northwest from the capital Mogadishu to the town, an area crowded with displaced people.

“The Shebab are fleeing the town, they are running away into the bush,” said Mr Ankunda, adding that AU troops had also secured the roads leading from Afgoye, which controls a key route from southern Somalia to the capital Mogadishu.

“There is some shooting here and there, but mostly it is calm... We control all the road junctions out of Afgoye,” he said.

Officials hope that the capture of Afgoye will deny the Shebab a base from which to continue its recent spate of guerilla attacks on the capital.—AFP