MOGADISHU, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, leader of the radical Islamist group of Hezbul Islam in Somalia, on Friday stated his group's readiness for a possible major government offensive on rebels in Mogadishu.

Aweys was speaking at a rally by hundreds of his group's supporters on the outskirts of Mogadishu, where thousands of the capital's residents live in camps for the internally displaced people.

"We tell you (the Somali government) that we are ready for a fight and that we will defend our country, people and religion if you move to massacre our people," Aweys told jubilant supporters of his group who carried banners and placards with anti-government slogans.

There has recently been widespread speculation that the Somali government backed by nearly 5,000 African Union peacekeepers plans to carry out a major onslaught against Islamist rebels in Mogadishu.

The Islamist leader, wanted by the U.S. of links to terrorism, also strongly denounced Washington's policy towards Somalia saying it was "hostile" to the people of Somalia .

Aweys condemned the decision by the Djibouti government to send nearly 450 soldiers to be part of the UN authorized African Union peacekeeping Mission known as AMISOM.

So far Uganda and Burundi have contributed troops to the Mission which, during its deployment in 2007, was envisaged to have 8,000 peacekeepers from African states before it transformed into a UN blue helmet operation.

Hundreds of civilians have been fleeing the city for the past weeks for fear of the possible confrontation between Islamist fighters and Somali government forces backed by AU forces in Mogadishu.

Dozens of civilians have either been killed or wounded for the past three days after clashes between the warring sides in Mogadishu which was punctuated by exchanges of heavy shelling that mainly landed in the pockets of remaining residential areas in the largely deserted coastal capital.