Ethiopian and Somali troops are reported to be heading south towards the stronghold of Islamist fighters driven from the capital on Thursday. Ethiopian tanks are advancing to the port city of Kismayo, 500km (300 miles) south of Mogadishu. A senior figure in the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) has vowed that the group is still alive and ready to fight. The head of Somalia's transitional government has met clan leaders to discuss how to stabilise the capital. Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf, who has not yet entered Mogadishu, held the talks in the nearby town of Afgoye. Some are opposed to Ethiopia's role in Somalia and thousands have protested in Mogadishu as Ethiopian soldiers secured the city's port and airport.
The Ethiopian forces, who back Somali's transitional government, are now reported to be closing in on an estimated 3,000 Islamist fighters in Kismayo. Sheikh Sharif Ahmed of the UIC urged thousands of residents gathered in Kismayo stadium to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid to defend their country. "Our country is under occupation so we have decided to fight. We are gearing up to kick these occupiers out of our country."
Residents of Kismayo were reported to have seen Ethiopian fighter jets overhead on Friday and Saturday, Reuters reported.