Area regional governor Abdi Jinow said the vehicle and the suspected militants onboard were taken into custody. He said the suspect will soon appear in court once investigations are complete.

There are conflicting reports emerging from the area, with some alleging that the vehicle belongs to the pro-government Ahlu Sunna militia group while others say it belongs to Al-Shabaab.

Sunatimes could not independently verify to which group the suspects and the vehicle belongs to and the Ahlu Sunna group has not commented on the issue.

Somali and AU forces on Tuesday wrested control of Bal’ad town without facing any resistant from the Al-Shabaab militant fighters in the town.

Hundreds of the allied forces swept into Bal’ad, a town north of Mogadishu, forcing Al-Shabaab militants to flee without defending the town.

The taking of Balad is the latest success for the government forces in a year of big gains against Al-Shabaab.

The African Union forces kicked Al-Shabaab out of Mogadishu last August and In May this year, they moved into the Afgoye corridor outside of Mogadishu, pushing into the capital’s suburbs for the first time.

The Somali forces backed Kenyan troops serving the AU mission in Somalia also wrested control of Afmadow in May, the second biggest town in Lower Juba after Kismayo and promise to ouster the remaining rebel administration in the port city by August.