Mogadishu — - The war in Somalia has apparently sparked an internal exodus of refugees. Hundred thousands of civilians have fled their homes in Baledweyn, Idaale, Jawil, Bandiradley and Dayanunay, all locations under excessive forceful duels between the ICU and the Ethiopian military forces protecting the Somali fragile government based in Badiao.

Neither the Ethiopian government nor the transitional government was available for comments.

The Islamic Courts Union spokesperson, Sheik Mohomood Ibrahim Suley, who held a press conference in Mogadishu, said Ethiopian troops began attacking the ICU on the ground and on the air.

"After we have defeated the enemy on a ground battle, they resorted to air raiding, we call on the reserved armies to report to Islamic Courts army centers immediately", he said.

He said the Somali people should not worry, stating the number of people registered for the holy war in the past days were in excessive number. "Now we do not need to recruit new people, but we will say the words when we need more troops", he said.

Islamists claimed they have blown up four Ethiopian tanks in the latest fight in southern Somalia and that they have defeated the Ethiopian backed government forces in the skirmishes near Baidoa, a seat for the transitional government.

The government Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Gedi accused the ICU of bringing 4,000 foreign fighters in Somalia that he said fought alongside with Islamists. He said they firstly attacked the government military bases beyond Baidoa, denying the government lost grounds to Islamists.

Earlier Islamic Courts defense chief Yusuf Indhoadde pronounced Somalia is open for world wide Muslim jihadists to come in and maintain their holy war against the Ethiopian Christian administered government in Addis Ababa. Similar tone was also spoken by Islamist supreme leader who echoed that it would be inevitable for them to use an outside force if the war got heated.

Sunday's air bombing changes the direction of the war entirely. Ethiopia that alleged it had several hundred military trainers in Somalia to protect the tenuous government has early Sunday morning air raided market vicinities where ordinary people were shopping, although sources say the Ethiopian jet fighters were targeting Islamist warehouses in Baledweyne.

With a Number of casualties is still unclear, hospital sources in Baledweyn say more wounded civilians were admitted in the hospital.

The Islamist press conference comes hours after Ethiopian warplanes air bombed the town of Baledweyn in central Somalia.

Witnesses said large numbers of students in the area were supplied with arms to fight with the Ethiopian troops.

Baledweyn is 350 km (220 miles) away from the capital Mogadishu.