Kenya has stepped up security along the border with Somalia amid reports that remnants of the ousted Somali Islamists were regrouping for retaliation against Ethiopian-backed Somali government.

"We have beefed up security along the border and nobody will be allowed to come in. Our security officers have been put on high alert and no Somali will enter the country," a senior security official who sought anonymity said on Wednesday.

The latest development came amid reports that about 1,000 Islamist troops have been re-grouping near Ras Kamboni ready for the battle in the bullet-scarred city of Mogadishu, which has so far left more than 400 people dead and displaced about 100,000 people.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-led International Contact Group for Somalia met in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Tuesday and called for the withdrawal of the Ethiopian troops in Somalia.

The diplomats from Africa, the Arab world, the United States and Europe said the tentative ceasefire should be strengthened.

The Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said the humanitarian crisis prompted by the fighting also needed to be tackled and called for reconciliation. A national reconciliation conference has been set for later this month.

Source: Xinhua