"The way they are treating us is unfair. Firstly, they said that all the men should go to Medina. They went first cleanly (went forth accordingly) and they went off successfully and they left us there. Then they blocked us for four days."

Kenyan and Somali government forces are confronting Islamist fighters of al-Shabab after landing on the outskirts of the Somali port of Kismayo. The city is the last main urban stronghold of the Shabab rebels. Gabriel Gatehouse reports.

Kenyan troops launched airborne and amphibious landings before dawn, supported by Somali government forces. But despite an early declaration of victory from the Kenyan military, by late afternoon, the fighting was still some miles distant from the city center. Residents said they could hear and see military aircraft overhead, but that inside Kismayo itself, al-Shabab was still in charge. It is probably a matter of when, not if Kismayo falls, and when it does, it will be a severe blow to the Islamists.

World News from the BBC

Fighting over Syria's second city Aleppo has intensified with reports of some of the fiercest battles in several weeks. Rebel forces launched a new offensive against the Syrian army on Thursday, saying the decisive battle for Aleppo had begun; but reports from the city suggest they have struggled to make any significant advances. Activists and residents of Aleppo say fighting has spread to several previously peaceful districts.