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AT least 14 people, including an election candidate, were killed in a suicide bombing at a restaurant in central Somalia on Saturday.
The attacker targeted local officials and politicians who had gathered for lunch in Beledweyne.
Islamist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the blast, which injured 18 people, Somali National Television reported.
“This was the deadliest attack I can recall in this town,” said local police officer Mohamud Hassan.
The bombing was the latest in a spate of attacks by the al Qaida-affiliated jihadist group, which has been fighting the Somalian government for more than a decade.
Its main targets are government and military institutions and African Union officials, but civilians are often killed during al-Shabab attacks.
Last week, five people, including two children, were killed by two bomb blasts targeting police stations in the capital Mogadishu.
Security has been heightened ahead of elections on Friday that were initially scheduled for December 24.
