Islamists urge Somalis to ready for warJuly 21, 2006 - 7:20PM

"People are confusing the government troops wearing military uniforms donated by Ethiopia," he told Reuters.

"There are around 3,000 patrolling Baidoa, and its vicinity, as well as guarding government buildings like the parliament ... there are no Ethiopians whatsoever in Baidoa."

The presence of Ethiopians on Somali soil could potentially play into the hands of the Islamists, whose rejection of foreign troops is supported by most Somalis, still bitter at the memory of a disastrous US foray into their country in the 1990s.

"An armed confrontation between the (Islamists) and Ethiopia would be likely to generate a wave of ultra-nationalism in Somalia that would rebound to the advantage of the courts and might ignite a regional war," said analyst Michael Weinstein.

In the Islamists' stronghold of Mogadishu, which they took from US-backed warlords in June, thousands of people took to the streets to protest the reported incursion by Ethiopian troops and express support for their new Muslim rulers.

In a procession of pickup trucks, cars and motorcycles, residents toured the battle scarred city, as rally organisers led them through areas previously held by warlords.

The rise of the Islamists has threatened the authority - and indeed existence - of the government of President Abdullahi Yusuf, formed in 2004 to steer the nation from anarchy to peace.

Western nations back Yusuf's government in principle, but recognise it has little political or military power.