The Somali government on Tuesday confirmed that its forces killed 51 al-Shabab during the latter's botched attack on the Somali National Army (SNA) base in the southern region on Monday.

HE Osman Dubbe, Minister for Information said six al-Shabab were also arrested including the mastermind of the attack. The attack also left 15 other people, including soldier’s dead.

 

The government also lauded the civilians who teamed up with the soldiers to defeat the terrorists who had planned to overrun the military base in the southern town of Ba’adweyne in Mudug region.

"Al-Shabab defeat in yesterday's (Monday) attack in Ba’adweyne is a clear example of how the people who stand by the SNA can easily stop the attacks and plots of the enemy against the Somali nation," Dubbe said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.

 

The minister said both the soldiers and the local residents fought bravely to defeat the al-shabaab which are "enemy of the Somali people."

 

The government forces have stepped up operations against al-Shabab extremists in central and southern regions in recent days, but the militants still control swathes of rural areas, conducting ambushes and planting landmines.