Islamist forces have captured the Somali town of Jowhar, which represented the last stronghold of a US-backed 'warlord alliance', after more than four months of fighting in the east African state.
Heavily-armed soldiers are patrolling the town, about 90km north of the capital Mogadishu.
At least six people are confirmed dead and nine others wounded in Jowhar, but it is feared the actual death toll could be much higher.
Since violence erupted in Mogadishu in February, at least 350 people have been killed and more than 2,000 others wounded as an Islamist militia has battled to oust warlords who have ruled Somalia for the past 15 years.
The rival sides have ignored numerous appeals for a truce from the UN and the US, vowing to keep fighting until their objectives were achieved.
Local warlords took control of Mogadishu, one of the world's most dangerous cities, following the 1991 ousting of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. The capital fell to the Islamist militia earlier this month.
A 'warlord alliance' was created earlier this year with US support in a bid to curb the growing influence of Islamic courts in the region and to hunt down extremists the courts are accused of sheltering.
At least three terrorist suspects, including some thought to be linked to the 1998 al-Qaeda attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, are thought to be in Somalia.
