Somalia claims to have expelled Al-Shabab from a major port city.

One of their biggest triumphs since beginning an attack against the organization last year, Somalia's government-led forces have reportedly taken control of an al-Shabab stronghold on the Indian Ocean, according to the defense minister on Monday.

According to a broadcast on state-run television by Defence Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, the soldiers had taken the port city of Harardhere and the neighboring hamlet of Galcad.

In the most recent offensive, the government and allied clan militias drove the rebels from large areas of territory.

Up until 2011, Harardhere was a significant base for pirates stealing merchant ships. Al-Shabab later took control of it after first rebelling against the government in 2007 and then swearing allegiance to al-Qaeda.

Al-Shabab terrorists no longer control the Haradhere and Galcad districts, according to Nur. Al-Shabab is defeated and gone, so this indicates. Soon, the remaining towns will also be freed.

A spokesperson for Al-Shabab could not be reached right away for comment.

Since beginning a massive offensive in August, the government and allied clan militias have expelled the rebels from large portions of central Somalia.

Some government authorities believe al-Shabab is nearing its end as a result of the victories. Experts have cautioned that the group has previously been driven out of important towns just to regroup and retake territory that the army is unable to retain.

Omar Mahmood, the senior analyst for East Africa at International Crisis Group, stated that everything that happens after the offensive phase is what will make or break the situation. Despite being under siege, Al-Shabab plays a long game.

In response to military pressure, the organization has carried out a number of high-profile attacks in the capital city of Mogadishu and other towns, including car bombings last month that left at least 35 people dead.

Former military officer Hassan Mohamed suggested that the government repeat its collaboration with clan-based militias throughout the nation.

If the government and clans attacked simultaneously over the entire nation, he told Reuters, "Al-Shabab will vanish."