A spokesman for African Union forces claimed they have taken Hudur, the capital of Bakool province, from Shabaab. A Shabaab spokesman rejected the claim, and said that AU forces were outside Hudur. Bakool authorities said 12 fighters from both sides died fighting last night in Teed, about 30 km from Hudur. In February, Shabab spokesman Sheikh Ali Dheere vowed that the group would recapture territory it lost in 2013, and rejected the idea of negotiating with the government.
