The African Union said on Friday that at least 21 people were killed and 40 others injured during two suicide bombings that rocked the base of the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia on Thursday.

AU Special Representative for Somalia, Nicolas Bwakira told a news conference in Nairobi that four Somali national, five Ugandans and six Burundians, including the Deputy Force Commander of AMISOM Maj-Gen. Juvenal Niyoyungunza were killed when two car bombs exploded at the base in Mogadishu.

Bwakira said the attackers are said to have rammed through the compound gate in two vehicles believed to have UN logos.

"The attack was carried out as a high level TFG/AMISOM security meeting was ending. Following the explosions, insurgents in the area launched a mortar attack to maximize the number of casualties, " Bwakira told journalists in Nairobi. "So far 26 people have been evacuated to Nairobi."

He said during the attack, one vehicle focused its attack on the Force Headquarters while the other one targeted a DynaCorp office located in the area.

"We will continue with our efforts to deliver peace to Somalia no matter what happens. The soldiers are well aware that their mission is a risky one and not beach football. We however pay tribute to the heroes because they died for a good cause," Bwakira said when asked whether the attack has dampened the spirits of members of the forces.

The envoy said AMISOM remained committed to support the Somali people and the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia in their peace and reconciliation efforts.

"Somalis are yearning for peace. However the Al-Shabaab with the support of the Al Qaeda are hell bent on perpetuating instability and lawlessness in Somalia."

Regional analysts said Thursday's incident was the deadliest attack against AU forces since suicide bombers killed 11 Burundian soldiers in February.

The AU envoy declined to reveal the security measures they have put in place to deter repeat of the attack saying doing so would be playing into the hands of the enemy.

The Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack. The group said it was retaliation for Monday's US helicopter raid that killed an Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist suspect Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan in southern Somalia.

Witnesses say the blasts were caused by two vehicles with United Nations markings that guards had allowed into the AU compound.

There are some 5,000 AU troops, mostly from Uganda and Burundi, in Mogadishu, protecting the weak, UN-backed government.

Al-Shabaab and its allies control most of southern and central Somalia, while the government, helped by the AU force, just runs parts of Mogadishu.

The country has not had a functioning central government since 1991, leading to a complete breakdown of law and order both on land and in recent years in Somali waters.

(Xinhua News Agency September 19, 2009)