"I am committed to die for the sake of my religion and the al-Qaida deputy's speech only encourages me to go ahead with my holy war," 18-year-old Sahal Abdi told The Associated Press.

Interviews with militants who fought with the Council of Islamic Courts and went into hiding when the movement's main force was driven out of the capital last week suggest that their movement is fractured, cut off from its leaders but still motivated for battle.

Somalia's interior minister says 3,500 fighters are hiding around Mogadishu, raising the specter of an Iraq-style guerrilla war even as plans to send in foreign peacekeepers gather pace.

The AP contacted several militants after witnesses identified them as former fighters. They acknowledged being fighters in telephone interviews but refused to be photographed or, in some cases, to give their full names. But they are still hoping the movement will rise again.

"The call from the al-Qaida deputy leader is based on Islam and we are adamant in our religion," said Sheik Musa, who would not identify himself further for fear of reprisals.

"There is no option but to heed his call," he said.

Ethiopian-backed government forces have driven the Islamic council from the capital and much of southern Somalia, ending their six months in power. The Islamic group, which wants to rule the country by the Quran, brought a semblance of stability here but terrified residents with a version of Quranic rule that included public executions and floggings of criminals.

Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, called on the Islamic movement's fighters to carry out suicide attacks on Ethiopian troops, according to a taped message posted on the Internet on Friday.

Al-Zawahri implored Muslims to support the Somali Islamic movement with fighters, money and expertise. He referred to the troops from Ethiopia, which has a large Christian population, as a "crusader" invasion force.

Ethiopia is a Christian country long despised in Muslim Somalia, and the Islamic movement here has invoked those traditional hatreds to rally its supporters. The countries have fought two wars, the last in 1977. Ethiopia is also a U.S. ally.

Three al-Qaida suspects wanted in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in East Africa are believed to be leaders of the Islamic movement in Somalia, but the movement denies that.

"This country should be ruled by Islamic law and I am a Muslim," said Ali Yare, a 35-year-old who said he remains proud of the work he did with the Islamic courts.

It was not clear what kind of weapons the men have at their disposal, but grenades, mortars and Kalashnikov rifles are readily available at the city's Bakaara Market.

Al-Qaida's call for revenge comes at a precarious time for Somalia's government, which controlled one town before Ethiopia stepped in with MiG fighter jets, tanks and well-trained soldiers.

Now, though, Ethiopia wants to pull out in a few weeks, saying its forces cannot be peacekeepers and cannot afford to stay. Somalia is trying to train its own military and police while a plan for an international force is put in place.

On Friday, Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi welcomed back into the military more than 1,000 men who had served under Mohamed Siad Barre, the military dictator who was ousted in 1991. Most of the men appeared to be well over 50.

A meeting of U.S., European Union, African and Arab diplomats on Somalia ended in neighboring Kenya Friday with a U.S. pledge to provide US$40 million (euro30 million) to Somalia in political, humanitarian and peacekeeping assistance, and a plan to ask more African nations to provide troops to help stabilize the country. Uganda has already pledged at least 1,000 peacekeepers.

The European Union said it would also help pay for a peacekeeping force envisioned at 8,000 troops.

Somali troops backed by Ethiopians prepared to launch a major assault Friday on Ras Kamboni, the last stronghold of the retreating Islamic militiamen. U.S. and British warships were patrolling off the Somali coast to prevent militiamen from escaping by sea.

Col. Barre "Hirale" Aden Shire, the Somali defense minister, said Islamic militiamen were dug in with their backs to the sea at Ras Kamboni at the southernmost tip of Somalia.

"Today we will launch a massive assault on the Islamic courts militias. We will use infantry troops and fighter jets," Shire said. "They have dug huge trenches around Ras Kamboni but have only two options: to drown in the sea or to fight and die."

Somalia's last effective central government fell in 1991, when clan-based warlords overthrew Barre and then turned on each other. The current government was formed two years ago with the help of the United Nations, but was weakened by internal rifts.

One Islamic fighter, who refused to have his name published, said Friday that he does not believe the government can last on its own.

"I'm not scared of the government," he said, adding that he was hiding in his house and biding his time in the hopes that the Islamic movement comes back.