An elder from the town of Buur-Hakba gestures during a meeting with Brig. Gen. Michael Ondoga, Contingent Commander for Ugandan troops serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and commanders of the Somali National Army (SNA) following the town's capture the day before from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated extremist group Al Shabaab by SNA, supported by AMISOM forces. The strategically important town linking the capital Mogadishu and the hinterlands of central Somalia was liberated without a shot being fired, marking a significant loss for the group. The town, located 64kms east of Baidoa, Somalia's second city, was a stronghold of the Shabaab where they extorted high levies of illegal taxation on the local civilian populations and used it as a base from where they planned and launched attacks against government forces and installations, AMISOM and the Somali population. Buur-Hakba is the latest in a string of notable territorial losses for the extremist group to SNA and AMISOM forces over the last 18 months, which has seen their area of influence and control over towns and areas across Somalia steadily and rapidly decrease. AU-UN IST / STUART PRICE.