It says it wants to push on from its positions in the Somali towns of Afmadow and Ras Kamboni to attack Kismayo from the west and south.

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Reuters news agency reports that columns of al-Shabab battle-wagons mounted with heavy machine guns have rushed to reinforce Afmadow, which is about 90km north of the port city of Kismayo, al-Shabab's main economic power base.

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