A Somali military officer says one Somali soldier has been killed in brief clashes between Somali and Kenyan troops in a border town.

Mohamed Ahmed says the Somali soldiers fought Friday morning with Kenyan soldiers on patrol in Elwak, a town near the Kenyan border.

He says the Kenyan soldiers mistook the Somali soldiers for al-Shabab extremists and that the clashes lasted more than 20 minutes.

The Somalia-based al-Shabab has carried out numerous deadly attacks inside Kenya in recent months. Kenya is one of several regional countries contributing troops to an African Union force in Somalia fighting al-Shabab.