MOGADISHU, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Somali National Army (SNA) forces on Friday killed 19 al-Shabab militants after the latter had attempted to attack an army base near Balad town, about 30 km north of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, a government official said.
Abdikamil Maalim Shukri, a spokesman in the Ministry of Internal Security, said the militants attempted to attack a military base in Muryale village but were repulsed by the soldiers who were on patrol.
"The forces were on patrol when they had the information of the enemy in close range trying to conduct an attack against our forces. The military is now looking for the remaining militants who were on the run," Shukri told journalists in Mogadishu.
He said the ongoing military operations against al-Shabab terrorists have seen terrorists lose their strongholds in the central region.
The extremist group was driven out of Mogadishu in 2011 but it is still capable of conducting attacks, targeting government installations, hotels, restaurants, and public places. ■