Somali Rebels’ Exit May Bring Respite for Starving Citizens

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The withdrawal by rebel forces from Somalia’s capital may offer residents of the war-torn country some respite from a famine that threatens almost half its 7.5 million people.

Al-Shabaab, which has pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda, quit Mogadishu on Aug. 6 following a series of military defeats, according to Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, prime minister of the Western-backed transitional federal government. The militant group confirmed the pull-back.