Hundreds of former members of Somalia's army joined the religious movement on Thursday, saying they wanted to defend their country against possible aggression by Ethiopia.
At a ceremony held at the dilapidated former Somali Revolution Party headquarters in Mogadishu, scores of Somali ex-soldiers in their military uniforms paraded and pledged to fight side by side with the troops. Senior religious group officials at the ceremony promised to include the soldiers in their payroll starting on Thursday.
"We are ready to take part in defending our country and we will be part of the Islamic Courts," said Lieutenant Colonel Abdi Guled. "I present to you 692 former Somali soldiers of which 44 are senior officers," Guled added, pointing at a group of veteran fighters sitting under the harsh Mogadishu sun.
The group, who took Mogadishu and a swathe of the south in June, have repeatedly accused Ethiopia of sending troops into Somalia to help President Abdullahi Yusuf's government.
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