Somali forces retake island overrun by Al-Shabaab militants

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Mogadishu — Regional forces in Somalia said they had taken back control of a strategic island on Thursday, a day after it was overrun by heavily armed Al-Shabab militants.

The Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab, which has been fighting an insurgency against the Somali state for around two decades, stormed Kuday island in the southern state of Jubaland on Wednesday in a bid to retake an area that was once an operational base for the group.

The group has been on the offensive for the past year, retaking much of the territory it had lost in campaigns by federal forces in recent years.

The local Jubaland administration said in a statement that its troops, backed by federal special forces, had fought for more than 24 hours on Kuday "and thwarted the ambitions of the enemy after fully eliminating their remnants today."

It said at least 59 insurgents were killed and 42 injured, "while 10 of their battle vehicles mounted with heavy machine guns were destroyed".

Locals confirmed the retaking of the island.

"We heard the sound of several heavy explosions this morning. Heavy fighting resumed on Kuday Island, and Shabaab fighters were forced out. There was an airstrike in which several vehicles belonging to the Shabaab were destroyed," Abdi Illaan, a resident on the nearby island of Madhawa, told AFP by phone, confirming information from other local residents.

Mohamed Hassan, a member of the Jubaland forces, said Somali special forces provided air support.

"The situation in Kudhaa has returned to normal now," he told AFP.

Kuday island, which is around 130 kilometres (81 miles) southwest of Kismayo, was liberated from Al-Shabaab in early 2015 by members of the Kenyan Defence Forces and the Somali National Army.