Islamists urge Muslims to join jihad on Ethiopia

Mogadishu: Somali Islamists urged foreign Muslim fighters yesterday to join their 'holy war' against Ethiopia as Islamist forces and pro-Somali government troops fired artillery and rockets across a frontline for a fifth day.

"Our country is open to Muslims worldwide. Let them fight in Somalia and wage jihad, and God willing, attack Addis Ababa," defence chief Yousuf Mohammad Siad 'Inda'ade' said in the Islamists' first threat to take the fight to Ethiopia's capital.

Both sides claim to have killed hundreds since fighting began on Tuesday, while aid agencies say dozens have died.

The most sustained fighting to date between the two sides has heightened fears of a major regional war that would ensnare Horn of Africa rivals Ethiopia and Eritrea and trigger possible suicide bombings in east Africa.

Raging fire

The Islamists accuse Ethiopia, a key US ally in its war on terrorism, of invading Somalia and deny claims by the United States that the group is led by an Al Qaida cell.

"We told the world to stop this problem," Inda'ade, a hardliner known for belligerent rhetoric, told reporters in Mogadishu. "We told them to do something before it becomes a blazing fire that would engulf the region."

Addis Ababa yesterday poured scorn on the call for foreign jihadist support, saying it proved the "extremism" of a movement Ethiopia accuses of being run by Al Qaida-linked militants.

Escalating tension prompted medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres to withdraw its international personnel.