Since October, Kenya has been waging war against al Shabab, the Muslim rebels of southern Somalia. Kenya’s incursion into Somalia has also prompted Ethiopia to send (not for the first time) some of its own soldiers into the southwestern part of Somalia. The capital Mogadishu, since al Shabab withdrew in August, has been controlled by Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG). The TFG is supported by the forces of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
With conditions changing by the day, determining who holds what is difficult. It is clear that al Shabab is losing territory by the month, and that Kenyan forces are advancing on some of the movement’s key strongholds, particularly the port city of Kismayo. Beyond that details are somewhat hard to pin down – I have probably gotten some things wrong in what follows. On a technical note, things are made even more confusing by the fact that transliterations of Somali town names vary widely in English.
Here is one list of the towns Kenya controls: Bilis Qooqani, Ras Kamboni, Bibi, Jilib, Tabda, Gherile and Bardere. Other sources say Kenya controls Burgabo (“a key trade route” for al Shabab), Hosingo and Badade. Top towns that Kenya is targeting appear to include Baidoa, Afmadow, Afgoye, and Kismayo.
VOA describes the areas where Ethiopia has a presence:
Soldiers…reached the town of Luq in the southwest Gedo region.
The location includes a major road leading to the Bay and Bakool regions, which are under al-Shabab’s control. The official says the Ethiopian convoy entered Somalia through the border town of Dolow.
And here are two maps: one, by the BBC, is a political/military map of all of Somalia.
The second is my own creation. The red shows towns that seem to still be in al Shabab hands, the blue shows towns in Kenyan hands, and the green town is Luq, held by Ethiopia. No pin marks Mogadishu, but it should be visible.
Finally, here is an in-depth Al Jazeera report on the recent al Shabab-al Qaeda merger.
Sahel Blog 
Statements from Kenyan military commanders have hinted at their forces moving closer to Kismayo than reported, citing increasing business flight from the port. Assuming that they know more than us, additional months could still be necessary to reach the city. The AU says an operation into Afgoye is already underway.
Lack of a comprehensive political strategy between the TFG, Nairobi and Ethiopia also remains disturbing. The gains of this ongoing military offensive cannot be negated by political friction/lack of integration between local/national political forces.