Locals in the area told Sunatimes that ASWJ fighters vacated their bases today at dawn and set up bases in Gobo settlement, 15 kilimetres from Mahas town.

The ASWJ group has not commented the alleged withdrawal from a town they recently seized from Al-Shabaab militia group.

It is not yet known whether Al-Shabaab will take over the town or the pro-TFG militias who fled will return to keep the militant fighters at bay.

Ethiopian troops last Sunday entered the town to reinforce Ahlu Sunna militias who were under attacks from armed Al-Shabaab militants.

Hundreds of Ethiopian troops and tankers have rolled into the town following a deadly clash between Al-Shabaab militants and Ahlu Sunna militias earlier on Sunday morning.

ASWJ officials claimed having upper hand over Al-Shabaab, saying that their militias inflicted heavy casualties on Al-Shabaab militants who raided their bases in the area.

Al-Shabaab militias have on several occasions stormed the town which they too left undefended.

Al-Shabaab briefly took over the town during the early morning attack only to be ousted again, but Ahlu Sunna denied that rebel fighters overpowered them in the first place, saying that it was a tactical retreat.

The Al-Qaeda linked militants have been losing grounds to the allied forces in both central and south-west Somalia since Ethiopian troops crossed again into the border last November.