Somalia Islamist Fighters Capture Town on Outskirts of Capital

Al Qaida back al Shabaab continues its advance towards Mogadishu. Bloomberg

Nov. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Islamist rebels in Somalia captured a town on the outskirts of the capital, Mogadishu, in at least the sixth incident this week in which the nation's transitional government was unable to defend territory it controlled.

Elasha Biyaha, 17 kilometers (11 miles) southwest of Mogadishu, was seized late yesterday by members of al-Shabaab, the militant wing of the Islamic Courts Union, Faadumo Khali Siad, a resident, said by phone today. The town is strategically important because it is situated on a route that connects Mogadishu to Baidoa, seat of the nation's parliament.

``Our forces took control of Elasha Biyaha last night after we received complaints from residents about insecurity there,'' Sheikh Abdi Rihin Isse Adow, a spokesman for the Islamic Courts, said in a mobile-phone interview today. ``We removed a checkpoint in the area from the regional administration.''