Islamists seize southern Somali town, 12 killed

By Ibrahim Mohamed and Abdi Sheikh

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia's al Shabaab Islamists said on Sunday they had seized control of a southern town from the rival Hizbul Islam insurgents after clashes that killed at least 12 fighters.

Al Shabaab controls much of southern Somalia and parts of the capital Mogadishu. The group is fighting government troops and African Union peacekeepers to impose its own version of sharia, or Muslim law, throughout Somalia.

Witnesses said hundreds of the group's fighters marched into Afmadow town in the lower Jubba region on Sunday after heavy fighting that started the previous day.

"We are now in the town. We have killed more than 12 of those that fought us and captured others," al Shabaab commander Mohamed Ali Shuqul told Reuters by telephone from Afmadow, which is close to the border with Kenya.

Residents said they saw dead bodies on the streets as they fled the tense town.

The two rebel groups were former allies but broke ranks over who should control the lucrative southern port of Kismayu.

"Al Shabaab's strategy is to stop anyone who can have an influence on the people in the areas it controls. This fighting is mainly about who should control resources and Kismayu port," said Ahmed Ali Noor, a Mogadishu-based political analyst.

ON THE RAMPAGE