Al Shabab militants have seized control of Barire town in the Lower Shabelle region, some 55 km southwest of Mogadishu.
Following their takeover without facing any resistance, local residents were seen looting an abandoned army base.
This comes just a day after the group captured the Sabid and Anole areas, located 10 km from Afgoye.
Despite their small size, both locations hold strategic significance and lie about 40 km southwest of the capital.
Somalia’s intelligence agency said seven airstrikes killed 82 Al Shabab militants and wounded 19 others.
The strikes were carried out in retaliation for the group’s attack on an army base in the Sabid and Anole areas.
Al-Shabaab has released photos claiming to show its fighters patrolling and inspecting vehicles on the road between Afgoye and Mogadishu.
Since mid-last month, Al-Shabab has intensified attacks in the Middle and Lower Shabelle and Hiran regions.
Driven out of Mogadishu in 2011, the al-Qaeda-linked group continues to carry out deadly attacks.
For over a decade, the militant group has battled to impose a hardline interpretation of Sharia law in Somalia.
Al-Shabab still controls large swaths of southern and central Somalia.
