[Addis Standard] Addis Abeba -- Al-Shabaab militants have captured the strategic central Somali town of Mahaas district, in Hiiran region of Somalia's Hirshabelle State, following heavy clashes with Somali government forces and allied local militias on Sunday. The takeover comes a year after Ethiopian troops stationed in the area withdrew and handed over their base to Somali forces as part of the third phase of the African Union's ATMIS drawdown.