Afmadow

History

Afmadow was captured in 2006 by the Islamic Court Union as were the other districts in the region during the Somali Civil War. On 21 November 2009, the Islamist Al-Shabab militia took control of Afmadow, causing hundreds of families as well as western aid workers to flee in fear of violence. Another Islamist group, Hizbul Islam, left a day earlier, allowing Al-Shabab to move in without much resistance. Tensions had been building between both militia since the former allies fell out in October in Kismayo, leading to fighting and Al-Shabab taking Kismayo in October 2009. On 18 October 2011, eyewitnesses reported that Kenyan jets were flying low over the city and al-Shabab was preparing entrenchment systems to defend against an expected attack by the Kenyan Army as part of the Kenyan intervention in Somalia. At the time, the government in Mogadishu was denying the presence of Kenyan troops in Somalia. On 31 May 2012, it was reported that the Jubaland security forces backed KDF captured the city, as al-Shabab abandoned the town without fighting.