( CNN ) -- Somali government forces have seized control of a central town from an al Qaeda-linked Islamist militia , a spokesman for Somalia 's president said Thursday . Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has offered aid to Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed , Somalia 's president . `` Bulo Burde is now under the control of government forces after our forces overran a stiff resistance at the entrance bridge of the town by Al Shabaab fighters , '' said Abdulkadir Mohamed Osman , communication director for Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed , Somalia 's transitional president . Despite the announcement , residents said heavy fighting continued Thursday and the town is still divided between pro-government forces and Al Shabaab fighters . The ongoing exchange of heavy-weapon fire between the two sides has trapped people in the town , residents said . `` Everyone inside this house is scared because heavy shells are raining in the town , '' said one resident , Sahra Muse . Bulo Burde is about 155 miles ( 250 kilometers ) southeast of the Somali capital of Mogadishu . The United States is supporting the Somali government 's fight against the insurgents , including providing weapons to government forces . Al Shabaab is on the U.S. list of terror organizations because of its ties to Osama bin Laden 's al Qaeda network . The United States is concerned that Somalia 's weak government could fall to the Islamist insurgency , as it did in 2006 before Ethiopian forces ousted the militants from power later that year . Earlier this month , U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Somalia 's transitional president and vowed to continue U.S. support for his government . `` The United States and the international community must serve as an active partner in helping the TFG [ transitional federal government ] and the people of Somalia confront and ultimately move beyond the conflict and poverty that have gripped their country , '' Clinton said at a joint news conference with Ahmed at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi , Kenya . The United States announced in June that it is providing weapons and ammunition to help Ahmed 's government fight the militants . The weapons shipments are in accordance with U.N. Security Council resolutions , which ban some arms shipments to Somalia , said State Department spokesman Ian Kelly . Clinton warned that terrorist groups like Al Shabaab pose a threat to the broader international community . `` Certainly if Al Shabaab were to obtain a haven in Somalia , which could then attract al Qaeda and other terrorist actors , it would be a threat to the United States , '' she said . There are growing concerns that Somalia could be the next base for al Qaeda as U.S. forces pound their positions in Afghanistan and Pakistan . CIA Director Leon Panetta recently said that the intelligence agency is keeping tabs on the region as a possible destination for fleeing al Qaeda operatives . `` Our concern right now is that likely safe havens are areas in the Horn of Africa , like Somalia and Yemen , that are countries that because of their political status can be attractive to al Qaeda in order to operate there , '' Panetta said in June . Separately , the FBI is investigating what appears to be a massive recruiting effort by Al Shabaab in immigrant communities in the United States . More than a dozen young men of Somali descent have disappeared from the Minneapolis , Minnesota , area in recent months . At least three of them , including a suicide bomber , have been killed in Somalia . Also , Australia recently announced the arrests of four men with ties to Al Shabaab who were suspected of planning a suicide attack on a military base in the southern state of Victoria . President Ahmed is a former member of the Islamic Courts Union , which took part in the 2006 coup . His decision to renounce the bloody insurgency and try to establish peace in Somalia has put him at odds with Islamist hard-liners who are still battling for control of Somalia . It also paved the way for his election as president of Somalia 's U.N.-backed transitional government in January . Journalist Mohammed Amiin Adow contributed to this report .
Troops ` ` overran a stiff resistance '' from Islamist militants , spokesman says . But residents still report heavy fighting between Al Shabaab , pro - government forces . Russia backs Somalia 's weak government , fears it could fall to al Qaeda - linked forces . U.S. officials warn that Somalia could be haven for al Qaeda operatives .