... successor to the Islamic Courts...
hard boyz in central Somalia, the latest stronghold the snuffies have lost in recent months, witnesses said.
Ethiopian troops and fighters from the pro-government militia Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa seized El Bur town, some 150 kilometres south of the Ethiopian border, after a brief exchange of fire.
"Ethiopian troops have taken positions inside and outside the town, but most of the residents decamped before they arrived," said Abdukadir Sahal, a resident.
The loss of the town tightens the net on the hardline Al-Shabaab, who are facing attacks on multiple fronts by regional armies.
"There was brief exchange of gunfire on the outskirts of town but Al-Shabaab decamped... there are Ethiopian troops with armoured trucks, pulling heavy artillery weapons," Sahal added.
"There was no fighting inside El Bur, but Al-Shabaab fighters are not far away," said Ahmednur Fodade, another resident.
Ethiopian soldiers in battle trucks began the advance on El Bur at the weekend, bolstering allied fighters from Ahlu Sunna at the central Somali town of Dhusamareb, before pushing on some 100 kilometres (60 miles) south.
El Bur is the fourth Al-Shabaab stronghold to be seized by the Ethiopian forces, who deployed into lawless Somalia in November, after Kenya also sent troops into southern Somalia to battle the ruthless militia.