MOGADISHU (Sunatimes) - Militias led by former warlord Bare Aden Hirale have on Sunday morning taken control of Somalia’s southern town of Beled-Hawo near the border with Kenya from Al-Shabaab militant group, residents told Sunatimes.

Early morning fighting between the rival sides left the death of six people mainly civilians and 16 more wounded as Al-Shabaab fighters withdrew the town.

The militias supported by fighters of Ahlu-Suna Waljama entered Beled-Hawa calling for the civilians to remain calm. It is feared that Al-Shabaab militants will fight back at any time to retake the town.

For the past few months, the militias of Bare Hirale, former defense minister in the Somalia, have been regrouping around the border areas to regain the strategic southern towns in Somalia.

Mohamud Siid Aden, a member of the Somalia parliament sitting in Mogadishu, said the seizure of Beled-Hawa is part of wider invasion aimed to clean Al-Shabaab terror group from the southern parts of the country.