Somali rebels reinforce Afmadow, residents flee

MOGADISHU - Residents fled the Islamist-held town of Afmadow in southern Somalia on Tuesday and al Qaeda-linked rebels rushed in reinforcements to hunker down for battle with advancing Kenyan and government troops.

Kenya launched an offensive with Somali forces on Sunday in a high-stakes bid to secure its porous border with its anarchic neighbour after a wave of kidnappings by gunmen thought to be linked to the rebels. The operation is a major escalation that risks dragging Kenya deeper into Somalia's two-decade civil war.