Pro-Somalia troops secure last al-Shabab bastion

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — African Union and Somali troops on Sunday won control of a key coastal town that had been used by the Islamic militants of al-Shabab, forcing the insurgents from their last significant stronghold and major money-making port.

The African Union said that Barawe, 220 kilometers (135 miles) southwest of Mogadishu, had not been controlled by Somali government forces since 1993. Al-Shabab used the Barawe port to bring in troops and weapons and to export charcoal worth millions of dollars to fund its military operations.