Somalia bombing toll climbs to 21

MOGADISHU — The death toll from a truck bombing in central Somalia rose to 21 on Sunday after emergency workers dug through rubble to recover more bodies buried under broken bricks, concrete and metal.

A suicide bomber drove the vehicle which was loaded with explosives towards a security checkpoint in the town of Beledweyne on Saturday, triggering an explosion that razed nearby buildings, trapping residents and injuring dozens.

"The death toll from yesterday's explosion has increased today from 13 to 21 people after more dead bodies were recovered under the debris of the destroyed buildings, some... burnt beyond recognition," Ahmed Yare Adan, a local police officer, told AFP by phone.

"People... are still looking for the missing members of their families, they don't know if they are dead or alive," he said.

Sayid Ali, deputy commander of the Beledweyne police station, told AFP that the bomber had targeted a busy neighbourhood that housed businesses and residential buildings.

"The search and clearing operation is going on at the site of the explosion," he said.

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud condemned the attack, doubling down on his vow to "eliminate" Al Shabaab militants who have waged an insurgency against the country's fragile central government for over 15 years.

"Incidents like this will never deter us from continuing to eliminate the... terrorists," he said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday's bombing, which came after Somalia's beleaguered government admitted to suffering "several significant setbacks" in its fight against the Al Qaeda-linked militants.

Somali deputy Health Minister Mohamed Hassan said late Saturday that "around 13 seriously wounded people [were] evacuated from Beledweyne tonight" and brought to the capital Mogadishu for treatment.

Mohamud took office in May last year vowing "all-out war" against Al Shabaab, who were driven from Mogadishu in 2011 but still control swathes of the countryside.

An African Union force deployed in Somalia in 2007 with a six-month mandate but still remains on the ground.

UN resolutions call for the African Union Transition in Somalia (ATMIS) force to be reduced to zero by the end of next year, handing over security to the Somali army and police.

But this has proved challenging, with the government now seeking to delay a planned reduction of ATMIS troops.

The head of ATMIS condemned Saturday’s bombing, saying it was “intended to divert attention” from the losses suffered by Al Shabaab following an offensive launched by Mogadishu last year.

“ATMIS strongly condemns the heinous attack on innocent civilians,” Mohamed Al Amine Souef said.

Somalia launched a major offensive against the Islamists in August last year, joining forces with local clan militias in an operation backed by ATMIS troops and US air strikes.

But Somalia’s national security adviser recently wrote to the United Nations requesting a 90-day delay to the planned pullout of 3,000 ATMIS troops by the end of September.

In the letter, seen by AFP, he said the government had “managed to re-liberate towns, villages and critical supply routes” during its offensive but had suffered “several significant setbacks” since late August.