A solider of the Somali National Army (SNA) stands guard in the central Somali town of Buur-Hakba. The SNA, supported by forces of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) captured the strategically important town 27 February 2013, on the Afgooye-Baidoa corridor in Bay region from Al-Qaeda-affiliated extremist group Al Shabaab without any resistance, marking a significant loss for the group. The town, located 64kms east of Baidoa, 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 significant 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 decrease. AU-UN IST PHOTO / STUART PRICE.