By Guled Mohamed
MOGADISHU, July 20 (Reuters)
- Somalia's Islamists vowed a "holy war" on Thursday against Ethiopian troops crossing into the Horn of Africa nation, while Addis Ababa threatened to "crush" any attack on the interim government it supports.
The aggressive rhetoric -- combined with this week's military moves on both sides -- have heightened fears of a new war in Somalia, plagued by violence and without central rule since the 1991 ouster of a military dictator.
"The risk of full scale war increases by the day," said John Prendergast, of the International Crisis Group think-tank.
Islamists took the capital Mogadishu from U.S.-backed warlords last month and are threatening the authority of a transitional administration formed in Kenya in 2004 and intended to steer the nation from anarchy to peace.
Sheikh Mukhtar Robow, a senior Islamist in charge of defence, said around 20 military vehicles from Ethiopia had crossed into Somalia at Dollow on Wednesday.
That added to previous Islamist accusations Ethiopia was pouring in troops to support Somalia's government against them.
"God willing, we will remove the Ethiopians in our country and wage a jihadi war against them," he told reporters.
Analysts believe Addis Ababa has sent up to 5,000 troops into Somalia, and is massing more on the border, to deter any more Islamist advances.
The regional power, Ethiopia backs the interim government of President Abdullahi Yusuf, which is based in the provincial town of Baidoa because it lacks the strength to move to Mogadishu.
Addis Ababa termed the jihad call "foolish and cheap propaganda" aimed at winning support from Muslim states.
"The Islamists' agenda is to topple the legally constituted Federal Transitional Government of Somalia and destabilise Ethiopia," added Information Ministry spokesman Zemedhun Tekle.
Ethiopia denied incursions into Somalia but threatened to "crush" any Islamist bid to take Baidoa or cross the border.
STALLED TALKS
Analysts and Somali sources say the interim government has little military strength in its own right, beyond a small force loyal to Yusuf, which was boosted by the recent arrival in Baidoa of several hundred fighters from defeated warlords.
In a war, the government would rely on Ethiopian support.
"Yusuf is using the Ethiopians as a threat. He doesn't really want a battle -- yet," said one Somalia expert.
"The Islamists have vastly superior military capacity at the moment, especially with the help they're getting from Eritrea."
Nominally Christian-led Ethiopia, which condemns the Islamist leaders as "terrorists", is fearful of having a hardline Muslim state on its doorstep.
It is also anxious about possible Islamist aspirations to establish a "Greater Somalia" which would incorporate Ethiopia's southeastern Ogaden region inhabited by ethnic Somalis.
Ethiopia sounded the alarm after Islamist militia moved from Mogadishu to Buur Hakaba -- just 60 km (37 miles) from Baidoa -- on Wednesday. The Islamists returned in the evening, saying they went to collect 150 soldiers switching sides from Yusuf's force.
The commander of those soldiers said they were disgruntled at lack of pay. "We met him (Yusuf) on Sunday and told him we will be leaving since his government failed to honour its promises," Garad Fiidow Gabow told Reuters in Mogadishu at a former government building where his troops were resting.
The soldiers carried new AK-47 rifles.
Interim government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari, however, said soldiers had left due to indiscipline.
Islamist defence chief Robow said he could have gone on to Baidoa, but drew back to avoid confrontation and harming Arab-League brokered talks with the government.
The government pulled out of the last round, saying the Islamists broke an accord to stop military advances. (Additional reporting by Andrew Cawthorne in Nairobi)