Somalia's al-Shabab group vows comeback

Somalia's al-Qaeda-linked rebel group, al-Shabab, has vowed to recapture all Somali territory that it lost in the past year during battles with government forces and African Union peacekeepers.

In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera conducted earlier this month, al-Shabab spokesman Sheikh Ali Dheere said the rebel group was not on the back foot despite the recent losses.

"Al-Shabab leaving those towns only shows a change of tactics. We will not be finished. Somalia belongs to al-Shabab. The land and the people are ours. We will not leave our land because of an enemy," Ali Dheere said, adding that there was no chance of holding talks with the government.