Locals reported seeing militants fleeing the town on Monday afternoon but could not say where they were heading to.

Al-Shabaab positions in the town still remain empty, they added.

The al-Qaeda linked group has been driven out of most urban areas over the past two years, but still controls many rural areas of the country.

Jowhar was the biggest town in the region under the control of Al-Shabaab Islamists but it fell on Sunday.

Alongside the recent military gains, a new Somali president took office in September, raising some hopes of a return to law and order after two decades of anarchy.