Mogadishu: Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud on Thursday appealed to the general public to help drive out the al-Shabaab terrorist organization, which he called a "bug".

Mahmoud was addressing a large crowd at a rally against al-Qaeda-linked militants, organized by the government at a stadium in the capital Mogadishu amid tight security.

"Mogadishu, there are Kharij (renegades) among you, so drive them out," I am calling you. They claim they are in your homes, among your neighbors, and in cars passing by.

He continued, "They are like bedbugs under our clothes, I want us to commit to getting them out today," as protesters waved flags and placards bearing anti-Al-Shabaab messages.

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For 15 years, al-Shabaab has waged a brutal insurgency against a weak central government, backed by the international community, carrying out attacks in Somalia and neighboring countries that have sent troops to aid in the fight against the militants.

People are fed up with the massacres, killings and other wrongdoing, and they are now telling al-Shabaab, "Enough is enough," according to Mohd.

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Shortly after taking office in May last year, the president declared an "all-out" war on Islamist fighters.

Recent months have seen the army and militias from local tribes retake large areas of land in the center of the country, in an operation backed by US airstrikes and an African Union force.

But despite being on the offensive, the rebels have often responded with brutal attacks, demonstrating their ability to strike in the heart of Somali towns and military outposts.

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Al-Shabaab is still well entrenched in some rural areas of central and southern Somalia, despite being driven out of Mogadishu and other important urban centers more than ten years ago.