Somali troops patrol Mogadishu streets after protests

In the southcentral town of Baladwayne, hundreds took to the streets demanding Ethiopian troops free a military commander detained for refusing to hand over an ousted Islamist because of a government amnesty offer to the defeated movement.

Government troops fired shots in the air to disperse the crowd and calm later returned, residents said, adding that no Ethiopian troops were present.

"WORK TOGETHER"

Ethiopian and government forces pushed the Islamists out of Mogadishu on December 28 and the government, which was confined to the provincial town Baidoa, now wants to reinstall itself in the capital, one of the world's most dangerous cities.

It had given Mogadishu residents until last Thursday to hand in their weapons or be disarmed by force. But government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari told local radio on Saturday the disarmament program was postponed.

Few weapons have been handed in so far, as residents fear Mogadishu could slide back into the anarchy and clan violence that had gripped the city since the 1991 ouster of a dictator.

Within hours of the Islamists fleeing, militiamen loyal to warlords reappeared at checkpoints in the city where they used to rob and terrorize civilians.

President Abdullahi Yusuf asked Addis Ababa to train Somali forces, Ethiopian state television said on Saturday, after the Somali leader met Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Meles has said his troops will leave Somalia within weeks.

Any prolonged Ethiopian deployment would likely anger many Somalis who resent the presence of soldiers from their militarily superior neighbor, which has invaded Somalia numerous times in what Addis Ababa calls defensive missions.

Yemen's Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi, meanwhile, was quoted as saying some Islamist leaders had arrived in Yemen, creating an opportunity for talks with Somalia's government.

Some Islamists have vowed to fight on.

Residents say they have melted into the hills in Somalia's remote southern tip where Ethiopian and government forces are hunting them. Kenya has sent troops to seal its frontier and about 23 suspected Islamist fighters, including foreigners, have been arrested, according to a local police official.

(Additional reporting by Ibrahim Mohamed in Jowhar, Wangui Kanina and George Obulutsa in Nairobi)