A key US ally in Washington's so-called war on terrorism, the largely secular Ethiopia is nervous about the swift victory of the Islamist forces, whose influence could spur unrest in Ethiopia's southeastern Ogaden region, where ethnic Somalis have been fighting for greater autonomy.
The US, concerned about growing extremism in Somalia, helped bankroll a secular warlords alliance, the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism, in February.
The Islamists deny US claims that they have links to extremist groups such as al-Qaeda and that they harbour foreign fighters, and instead claim to be working to restore law and order in the Horn of Africa nation.
Since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled in 1991, Somalia has been wracked by factional fighting, scuppering more than 14 internationally backed efforts to restore a functional government in the poverty-stricken country of about 10 million.
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