Somali rebels fortify defences, blast kills six in capital

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali militants linked to al Qaeda prepared to defend a town in southern Somalia on Tuesday from advancing Kenyan and government troops, while a suicide car bomb killed six people in the capital during a visit by a Kenyan minister.

Facing muddy terrain and heavy rains, residents tried to flee Afmadow as the town braced for the next phase of an offensive launched on Sunday by Kenya, along with Somali forces, in a risky bid to secure the border with its anarchic neighbour.