Suicide Truck Bomber Kills at Least 13 in Central Somalia: Police

Thirteen people were killed and 20 others wounded in central Somalia on Saturday after a suicide bomber drove a truck packed with explosives towards a security checkpoint in the town of Beledweyne, police said.

He added that "around 20 wounded people were already taken to hospitals," noting that "the number of the casualties could rise."

The attack, which damaged nearby buildings, trapping people under the debris, came after Somalia's government admitted to suffering "several significant setbacks" in its fight against Al-Shabaab* militants.

An African Union force deployed in Somalia in 2007 with a six-month mandate but still remains on the ground, with the government now seeking to delay a planned reduction of foreign troops by three months.

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

Somali troops launched a major offensive against the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Shabaab* in central Somalia in August last year, joining forces with local clan militias in an operation backed by the AU force and US air strikes.

President of the East African state, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took office in May last year vowing "all-out war" against Al-Shabaab*, who were driven from Mogadishu in 2011 but control swathes of the countryside. Mohamud, who has recently been visiting the frontline, said in August that the government would "eliminate" the jihadists by the end of the year.

However, Somalia's national security adviser wrote to the United Nations requesting a 90-day delay to the planned pullout of 3,000 AU troops by the end of September. He noted 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.