By Mohamed Mohamed
BBC Somali
**The Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab says it has taken control of the southern town of Afmadow without any resistance from rival militants.**The town, in Lower Juba region, had been controlled by rival group Hisbul-Islam, but its members are reported to have withdrawn without a fight.
The two militant groups have been fighting each other for months for control of this region.
Al-Shabaab wants a strict version of Sharia law imposed around the country.
The situation in the southern town is reported to be tense.
Witnesses told the BBC they had seen heavily armed al-Shabaab fighters patrolling the town centre in trucks.
They say a large number of people have fled their homes in fear of violence.
Reports say a non-governmental organisation has shut its offices and stopped all essential work in the area. Some of its staff have left the town.
Al-Shabaab issued a statement saying it had taken the town from Hisbul-Islam without a fight.
On Saturday, at least eight people died and many more were injured after clashes between Hisbul-Islam and al-Shabaab on the outskirts of the town.