World Bulletin / News Desk

 A Somali governor has admitted that several areas have fallen to the Al-Shabaab militant group in the southern Lower Shabelle region.

"Government forces have lost control of four towns and villages in the Lower Shabelle region after clashes with Al-Shabaab militants," Lower Shabelle governor Abdul-Kadir Sidi told Anadolu Agency.

The governor, however, gave no details about casualties.

Somali Memo, a website associated with Al-Shabaab group, claimed that 24 Somali troops had been killed during an attack on several areas in Lower Shabelle.

The claim, however, could not be verified independently.

Somalia has remained in the grip of on-again, off-again violence since the outbreak of civil war in 1991.

Al-Shabaab, which is waging an insurgency against the Somali government, has recently suffered several significant blows, losing most of its strongholds in southern and central Somalia to government and African Union troops.

Nevertheless, the group has continued to launch deadly attacks on government officials and security personnel.