Major Ismail Abdimaalik, a military officer, said that the reason for the withdrawal was an order from the high command of the army, but he did provide further details on the matter.
The government forces and the local people who came out of Wabho area are said to have returned to the Mahas district in the Hiraan region where they had already left the army.
The latest news says that the Wabho area has been peacefully retaken by al-Shabaab
...... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...There are no further details given by the Somali government as to why it withdrew its troops from Wabho area in Galgadud region.
Garowe’s take on the story:
The Somali National Army [SNA] failed to guard one of the strategic towns in the country, letting al-Shabaab
...... an Islamic infestation centering on Somalia attempting to metastasize into Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and similar places, all of which have enough problems without them...easily retake it in what has been considered a major loss in the ongoing fight against the group, which controls large swathes of rural central and southern parts of Somalia.
According to multiple sources, the Somali army with backing from the local militia left Wabho town in the Galgadud region within Galmudug
...a semiautonomous region in central Somalia, bordering Puntland on the north. Galmudug is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation, but rather considers itself autonomous within the larger Somali federalism, for what that's worth...
state on Friday night, paving way for the return of the al-Shabaab. The town has been instrumental in the war against al-Shabaab given its strategic positioning.
According to Major Ismail Abdimalik, the man who has been coordinating the crackdown against al-Shabaab, the troops were ordered by senior commanders in the army but did not give reasons. Usually, the military is required to monitor towns that are liberated from al-Shabaab.
Last week on Wednesday, the Somali army with assistance from local militia liberated Wabho town without meaningful struggle and their exit came as a shock. According to a government report, the hard boyz had been in charge of the town for 15 years.
Locals said the forces mainly drawn from elite squads have already returned to Mahas District in the Hiiraan region. It is not clear why they abandoned the town despite expectations that they were to stay around until people-led administration is picked.
Further reports show that the al-Shabaab have increased their attacks ever since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced a crackdown against them. The multiple operations going across the country have left hundreds of al-Shabaab hard boyz dead.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has been encouraging local militia to join the fight, a move which has yielded fruits. Most towns in Somalia are now free from al-Shabaab following operations by the national army, local militia, and the African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
Transition Mission in Somalia.