At least 13 people have been killed in a bomb explosion outside a restaurant in the town of Baladweyne in central Somalia, a local politician says.

According to Dahir Amin Jesow, a local legislator, over ten people were also wounded in the incident on Saturday.

"I could see the bodies of several soldiers being carried, but I could not make out whether they were dead or injured," said a witness.


The restaurant, "which is popular with Ethiopian and Somali troops," is reportedly located near a military base in the town.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Somalia is grappling with growing wave of violence and militancy.

On June 19, members of al-Shabab attacked the United Nations(UN) compound in in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, killing 14 people including a UN Development Program staffer and three UN contractors.

The latest attack comes days after United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned about the deteriorating security situation in Somalia, saying the African country may slide back into being a failed state.

"The political, security, and development gains made so far in Somalia are still reversible," as al-Shabab "continues to undermine security throughout the country, including in (capital) Mogadishu." the UN chief said on Tuesday.

Somalia did not have an effective central government from 1991 until August 2012. In September 2012, MPs meeting in Mogadishu elected Sheikh Mohamud as the new president of Somalia with a big majority.

The government in Mogadishu has been battling al-Shabab for the past six years and is propped up by a 17,000-strong African Union force from countries like Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, and Djibouti.