In Somalia, at least three soldiers on a ordnance-clearing mission were killed today by a roadside bomb north of the capital Mogadishu, from where Islamists militants were routed six years ago. <br/><br/>Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack at a checkpoint on the outskirts of the town of Shalanbood in the Lower Shabelle region. <br/><br/>The group carries out frequent attacks in and around the capital Mogadishu in its decade-old attempt to topple the Western-backed government and drive out African Union peacekeeping troops. <br/><br/>Somalia has been at war since 1991, when clan-based warlords overthrew dictator Siad Barre and then turned on each other.