UNITED NATIONS, Dec 27, SPA -- The United Nations' envoy to Somalia has warned of a "deteriorating situation" in the Horn of Africa nations and called for the U.N. Security Council to take steps to end the violence in the country. Francois Lonseny Fall said Tuesday that civilians are increasingly at risk in Somalia, where Ethiopian troops backing the transitional government have launched attacks against Islamist militia that control much of the country. Islamic fighters using irrigation canals as fortifications battled advancing Somali and Ethiopian government troops at dawn Wednesday with artillery, mortars and heavy machine guns as they defended a major town on the road to the capital, witnesses told The Associated Press. Thousands of Somalis -- many of them already devastated by severe flooding -- have been forced from their homes by the fighting, Fall said. "The deteriorating situation in Somalia has no doubt dealt a serious blow to efforts aimed at the early resumption of peace talks," Fall said. "The fighting has also compounded an already serious humanitarian crisis, resulting in additional displacement of populations." Qatar, which holds the council presidency, circulated a draft presidential statement calling for an immediate cease-fire and the immediate withdrawal of all international forces, specifying Ethiopian troops, according to reports from The Associated Press.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/414125