Army commander says insurgents have taken Beletwein

BELETWEIN, Somalia Sep 9 (Garowe Online) - An army commander in Somalia has said that the interim government has lost control of a strategic town in the central regions to insurgents, Radio Garowe reports.

Gen. Muktar Hussein Afrah, who commanded Somali government forces in Beletwein, capital of Hiran region, told reporters Wednesday that the town is under the control of Al Shabaab and Sheikh Abdirahman Ibrahim Ma'ow, Hiran's Islamist governor who recently withdrew support to the Somali government.

"The governor [Ma'ow] has joined Al Shabaab and we have left the town," Gen. Afrah said.

Currently, Al Shabaab insurgents control the western neighborhoods of Beletwein while the town's eastern section is empty of soldiers or insurgents.

The army commander defended the decision to withdraw government forces from Beletwein, saying that he listened to the advice of community leaders and aims to protect the public from continued violence.

"We want to show the public that Sheikh Abdirahman [Ibrahim Ma'ow] is a man who wants instability in Hiran region," Gen. Afrah added.

Beletwein is located near the international boundary between Somalia and Ethiopia. Last month, after Ethiopian troops briefly seized control of Beletwein, Sheikh Ma'ow declared that he will no longer support the Somali interim government.