Somalia pro-government forces retake border town

A Somali official says pro-government forces have retaken a border town from Islamist militants after several hours of fighting.

Sharif Abdiwahid Sharif Aden, a spokesman for the pro-government militiamen, said Saturday that his forces wrested control of Belet Hawo, which borders Kenya, from al-Shabab militants.

Al-Shabab officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Belet Hawo's capture is part of an ongoing government-led offensive aimed at ending Islamist militants' grip on large swaths of the country's south and central regions.

Meanwhile, the African Union force propping up Somalia's government said it killed suicide bombers riding in a jeep who tried to attack its base at the former defense ministry building in the capital, Mogadishu.