Nairobi/Mogadishu  - Unknown armed Somali groups have shot dead four Kenyan soldiers near the border between the two East African nations, Somali website Shabelle reported.

Shabelle cited local residents of the town of Liboi as saying the shootings came amidst an increased Kenyan presence on the border.

Kenya is keen to prevent a huge influx of Somali refugees fleeing an increasingly-savage insurgency from entering.

Somalia has been in a state of anarchy since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991. It has been without an effective central authority, leading to constant inter-clan clashes.

The situation has worsened since government and Ethiopian troops drove the Union of Islamic Courts out of Mogadishu at the end of 2006, sparking an insurgency. (dpa)