Somali National Army and African Union troops take control of town of Jowhar , AU says . Abdi Isac , a local resident , said by phone from Jowhar that the allied troops peacefully entered the city after the Islamist militants pulled out without a fight or firing a single shot . Islamist Al-Shabaab militants gave up the town without a fight , a resident says . The U.S. military has been conducting airstrikes against al Qaeda in Somalia since early last year to try to drive out the militant group from its strongholds. Jowhar is at a strategic crossroads north of Mogadishu .
Somali National Army and African Union troops take control of town of Jowhar , AU says . Islamist Al-Shabaab militants gave up the town without a fight , a resident says . The U.S. military has been conducting airstrikes against al Qaeda in Somalia since early last year to try to drive out the militant group from its strongholds. Jowhar is at a strategic crossroads north of Mogadishu .