Kenyan warships shelled the southern Somali port of Kismayu overnight after al-Qaeda-linked rebels said they had abandoned the city, residents said on Sunday.
Stunned by an assault by sea, air and ground forces late on Friday night, al Shabaab rebels fled the city that had been their key source of revenue, retreating to surrounding forests and towns.
However, there were conflicting reports on Sunday evening about how much of Kismayu African Union forces (Amisom) now controlled.
The Kenya Defence Force (KDF), part of Amisom, said it had seized the sea port, the police headquarters and the radio station, but a source in the Somalia National Army said Amisom was close to taking control of those installations but had not yet done so.
The shells being fired by Kenyan warships may have been targeting remaining pockets of resistance or military installations in the city that was the rebels’ last stronghold.
“The ships were firing deafening shells at the outskirts last night but several shells landed on houses,” said Samira Ismail, a local mother of four.