African Union troops retreat in Somalia as Shebab attack

A Somali soldier guards outside a military intelligence base in Mogadishu, on June 21, 2015 (AFP Photo)

Mogadishu - African Union troops fighting Somalia's Shebab insurgents have pulled back from several key towns following a series of attacks by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated fighters, local officials said Friday.

The withdrawal, a rare retreat after AU troops seized swathes of territory from the radical Islamists, includes the towns of Qoryoley and Awdhegele, which have since been taken over by Shebab in Somalia's southern Lower Shabelle region.