In brief: Somali troops retake palace

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somali troops retook the presidential palace in the capital of Mogadishu after militants forced their way in and exchanged heavy gunfire with troops and guards Tuesday, the latest attack underscoring the threat posed by Islamic extremist group al-Shabab in east Africa.

After more than two hours of fighting, Somalia’s presidency said in a Twitter update that “the shameful attack” had been foiled by Somalia’s armed forces fighting alongside African Union peacekeepers. Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was not inside the palace at the time of the attack, but the prime minister and the speaker of parliament were, said Capt. Mohamed Hussein, a senior police official.

The presidency said both President Mohamud and Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed were safe.

The presidential compound, which also houses several government offices, has been the subject of many attacks by al-Qaida-linked militants over the years.

The presidency said that the compound has since been secured, but gave no details about any casualties. Hussein, the police official, said he counted at least nine bodies.

North Korea fires missiles into sea

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles this morning into the sea off its east coast, a South Korean defense official said, in a continuation of a recent series of missile and rocket test launches.

The missiles, presumed to Scud-series missiles, were fired from the southwest Hwanghae province and flew across the country before landing in the ocean, the official said requesting anonymity citing department rules. The missiles have a range of 310 miles, he said.

Holder: Syria, Iraq cradle of violence

WASHINGTON – Calling Syria and Iraq “a cradle of violent extremism,” Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. told Norwegian officials Tuesday that “the world cannot simply sit back and let it become a training ground from which our nationals can return and launch attacks.”

“In the face of a threat so grave, we cannot afford to be passive. Rather, we need the benefit of investigative and prosecutorial tools that allow us to be pre-emptive in our approach to confronting this problem,” Holder said.

“If we wait for our nations’ citizens to travel to Syria or Iraq, to become radicalized and to return home, it may be too late to adequately protect our national security,” he said.

U.S. officials estimate there are dozens of Americans and many more Europeans among some 7,000 foreign fighters in Syria.