Kenyan forces 'going after al-Shabab' in Somalia

Kenyan troops and armoured vehicles have crossed into neighbouring Somalia, residents say, in pursuit of militants suspected of a spate of kidnappings.

Witnesses said up to 40 Kenyan vehicles carrying soldiers had passed through the Somali town of Dhobley, near the border. Tanks were also reported.

But a Somali government official at the UN told the BBC that if the reports were true it would be a violation of sovereignty.

The BBC's Will Ross in Nairobi said that Kenya was trying to force al-Shabab militants away from its border.