Mogadishu, Jun 28 (IANS): Somali National Army (SNA) said that 41 al-Shabab militants were killed and several others injured in a suicide attack in the country's Galmudug state.

An SNA commander told state-media that three SNA soldiers and five from Galmudug's regional paramilitary forces (Darwish) were also killed during the attack on Sunday near a security camp in Wisil, which is one of the safest towns in Galmudug, reports Xinhua news agency.

The military said some of the civilians and soldiers wounded in the fighting were taken to the country's capital Mogadishu for medical treatment.

The Somali government strongly condemned Sunday's terrorist attack by al-Shabab and sent its condolences to the families of those killed by the terrorists.

Deputy Information Minister, Abdirahman Yusuf Al-Adala said the government had taken immediate action to help the people of Wisil, who showed courage and resisted attempts by the terrorists to attack their town.

The al-Shabab militant group which is fighting the government has been driven out of major strongholds in Somalia in recent years in a joint offensive by AMISOM and local forces but the group still stages attacks across the country.