Kenya on high alert as Somalia fighting edges close to border

Garissa: Kenyan soldiers and helicopters bolstered defences at the Somali border yesterday to stop fighting from spilling over after Ethiopian warplanes attacked fleeing Islamists on the other side of the frontier.

A local police commander said a Kenyan helicopter had escaped undamaged after being shot at by Somali militia and an Ethiopian missile targeting Islam-ists strayed into Kenya late on Tuesday.

The Islamists, who deserted their last stronghold on Monday after two weeks of war against government troops backed by Ethiopian armour, have pledged to fight on after melting into the hills between the Indian Ocean port of Kismayu and Kenya.

The Somali interim government is seeking to install itself in the capital, breaking out from the provincial outpost of Baidoa, which had been threatened when the Islamists took over much of southern Somalia in June.

Shooting

Residents of Liboi, a Kenyan border post, said they saw Ethiopian war planes flying over the Somali town of Doble, 25 km away, late on Tuesday. They then heard shooting which tailed off after midnight.

"When we heard the gunshots we panicked, although we knew it could be these groups fighting across the border," said Liboi businessman Abdi Rage.

"The security forces are many here and it is like we are also involved in this fight. Vehicles are moving up and down the border. This is causing tension but at least we feel secure."

Local police commander Johnstone Limo said the Ethiopian planes were pursuing Islamists nearby.

"Ethiopian planes fired missiles targeting three Somali vehicles. These were allegedly used by the fleeing Islamic forces, and the Ethiopian pilots missed their targets," he said.

Kenyan Foreign Minister Raphael Tuju denied the report.

Nairobi sealed the border after the Somali government urged it to stop leaders of the Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC) or foreign jihadist supporters escaping.

Eight suspected combatants were being questioned after they were arrested trying to enter Kenya near Liboi on Sunday.

One border security source said personnel were under strict orders not to let any Somalis into Kenya, while the UN refugee agency UNHCR said 400 Somali asylum seekers had been sent back.