US concerned over Islamist advance in Somalia

WASHINGTON, July 20 (Reuters) The United States is gravely concerned by reports that heavily armed militia aligned with the Islamic courts group were advancing toward Baidoa, the seat of Somalia's interim administration, the State Department said today.

The militia move to the town of Buur Hakaba, 60 km from Baidoa, stoked fears of war and led Somalia's Western-backed interim government to puts its troops on alert.

''The United States calls on the Islamic courts and all Somali parties to immediately cease any hostile action and resume a process of peaceful dialogue,'' State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement.

Somalia has had no central rule since the 1991 ouster of a military dictator. The interim government's hopes of moving to Mogadishu were frustrated when the Islamists seized the capital last month from US-backed warlords.

McCormack said the United States supported the establishment of a functioning government in Somalia that incorporated all elements of society, including religious leaders and Islamic organizations.

''We stress that these objectives can only be achieved through a process of inclusive dialogue based on broad-based representation from Somali society, not through force of arms,'' McCormack said.

REUTERS SI HS0926