NAIROBI/MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Kenya said Somalia's al Shabaab militants were on the run after it deployed more troops and struck rebel targets by air to secure its border from rebels Nairobi accuses of kidnapping foreigners on its soil.

But in the Somali capital Mogadishu, the al Qaeda-linked militants have been putting up stiff resistance against African Union peacekeepers (AMISOM) and government troops who in August had driven the rebels out of most of the city.

Kenyan troops stormed the Somali border six days ago to oust the militants who they say have taken several foreigners hostage in recent weeks, threatening Kenya's reputation as a relatively safe investment and tourism destination.

Read the whole hot breaking news

MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Kenya sent in more troops to fight al Shabaab militants in southern Somalia on Friday as the African peacekeeping force in Mogadishu acknowledged 10 of its soldiers had died after a heavy battle against the rebels in the capital.

East African officials held an emergency meeting to discuss the deteriorating situation in Somalia, five days after troops from Kenya poured across the border in pursuit of kidnappers it says are linked to Somalia's al-Shabaab rebels.

The Kenyan military said its forces had taken two towns, but a spokesman for a militia allied with the government in Mogadishu said the advance had been stalled by heavy rain.

Read the whole hot breaking news

MINNEAPOLIS – Two Minnesota women who claimed they were helping the poor in Somalia were convicted Thursday of conspiring to funnel money to a terrorist group as part of what prosecutors called a “deadly pipeline” sending funds and fighters to al-Shabab.

After the verdicts, one of the women, Amina Farah Ali, told the judge through an interpreter that she was happy because she was “going to heaven no matter what,” and condemned those in authority, saying: “You will go to hell.” She was ordered into custody pending her sentencing.

Ali, 35, and Hawo Mohamed Hassan, 64, were each charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Ali also faced 12 counts of providing such support, for allegedly sending more than $ 8,600 to al-Shabab from September 2008 through July 2009, while Hassan faced two counts of lying to the FBI.

Read the whole hot breaking news

MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Kenyan and Somali troops advanced on an Islamist-held town in southern Somalia on Thursday and African Union peacekeepers moved on one of the last pockets under militant control in the capital Mogadishu.

Nairobi launched a cross-border incursion into Somalia to flush out rebels from its porous frontier area after a series of kidnappings of foreigners in Kenya. The abductions were carried out by gunmen thought to be linked to the al Shabaab rebels, allied to al Qaeda.

Officials in Kenya, the region's biggest economy, say the operation into its anarchic neighbor is needed to protect its multi-million dollar tourism industry and reputation as a relatively stable investment destination.

Read the whole hot breaking news

NAIROBI (Reuters) – Kenya has arrested two British citizens suspected of ties to Somalia's al Qaeda-linked rebels as they crossed the border into the Horn of Africa country, Kenyan police said on Tuesday.

"There are two British citizens who were arrested yesterday. We suspect that they are coordinating the activities of al Shabaab … or maybe they were passing on information to these people," said Charles Owino, deputy police spokesman.

Owino said the two men, one of Somali descent, the other Pakistani descent, were seized in the border town Kiunga, just north of the Lamu archipelago.

Read the whole hot breaking news