MOGADISHU, Somalia — African Union troops in Somalia say they have captured a town previously controlled by al-Shabab, extending a string of recent victories against the al-Qaida-linked militants.

The African Union Mission in Somalia said in a statement Wednesday that the town of Eel Buur in Galgaduud region had been taken from al-Shabab after three days of fighting.

The statement said Eel Buur is one of ten major towns that African Union and government forces have taken since the offensive started a month ago.

After al-Shabab was ousted from the capital, Mogadishu, in 2011, the militants retreated to rural towns where they still hold sway.

Despite losing a lot of ground, however, al-Shabab is still able to launch deadly assaults in Mogadishu and elsewhere in Somalia.