(VOA) — Witnesses in Somalia say Islamist insurgents have seized control of Hudur, the capital of the Bakool region.

The governor of Bakool confirmed to VOA Somali service that he fled Hudur as Islamist fighters entered the town late Thursday.

There was no immediate comment by the Somali government.

The Bakool region borders Ethiopia, which has thousands of troops in Somalia supporting the country’s U.N.-backed administration led by President Abdullahi Yusuf.

Anti-government insurgents have captured provincial towns in recent months only to withdraw after a short time.