Al-Shabaab extremists have captured several villages in the outskirts of Jowhar, which is the administrative capital of HirShabelle State.
Reports from the region indicate that Al-Shabaab fighters took complete control of the villages on January 21.
The villages are just outside Jowhar, a city located close to 90kms to the north of Mogadishu.
According to multiple sources, the militants never encountered much in the way of resistance.
More interestingly, they made their way deep into the region after Somali National Army (SNA) and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops retreated.
Earlier this week, the militia group had seized Mashalley, which is a stone’s throw away from Qoroley town.