 The advance towards Baidoa prompted the government to go on high alert, and neighbouring Ethiopia warned it would send troops in to crush the Islamists. The US State Department said it was "gravely concerned" and urged the end of hostilities and resumption of talks. Union of Islamic Courts leaders say they never intended to attack Baidoa. The UIC have rapidly expanded their control of southern Somalia since they took control of the capital, Mogadishu, but observers fear it is only a matter of time before the two sides clash. "We have no such military plan as claimed by the non-functioning government," the UIC's security head Sheikh Yusuf Mohamed Siad told AFP news agency. "The prime minister's claims are a ploy to attract Ethiopian intervention." Threat Ethiopia has a history of supporting Somalia's interim president, Abdullahi Yusuf, and has repeatedly denied allegations that its troops have crossed into Somalia. Information Minister Berhan Hailu told Reuters news agency in Addis Ababa that they would use "all means at our disposal to crush the Islamist group if they attempt to attack Baidoa". "The Islamists are trying to impose on our neighbouring country. This is a threat to Somalia and the Horn of Africa region," he had earlier told AFP news agency. "We have to defend ourselves because Baidoa is near our border. And we are determined to defend the government of Somalia because it is internationally recognised by the United Nations, the African Union and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development," he added. On Wednesday, Somalia's interim Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi warned that the Islamists, who control the capital, plan to advance on Baidoa, where a curfew has been imposed. His comments followed reports that 150 government troops had defected to the UIC. Observers fear the latest move may derail efforts to organise talks between the government and UIC which have been rescheduled to begin in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on Saturday. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/5197586.stmPublished: 2006/07/20 10:36:40 GMT © BBC MMVI |