Suicide bomber kills six people in central Somalia

At least six people died on Sunday after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a restaurant just outside a senior official's office in the central Somali city of Beledweyne, police and residents said.

The Sunday afternoon blast took place outside the office of the governor of Hiran, where he was holding a meeting.

"At least six people died and several others were wounded. A suicide bomber blew up himself in a restaurant," Major Hussein Osman, a police officer from Beledweyne said. 

Beledweyne is about 340 km north of Mogadishu.

Residents said clan elders were among the dead.

The al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the blast.

"We are behind the attack at the Hiran governor's headquarters," Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military operation spokesman, said. "There are casualties. We targeted the workers of the Hiran administration," Musab said.

"The suicide bomber who had an explosive jacket stood inside the restaurant and blew up himself. We were heading to a meeting in the governor’s office when it happened," Farah Ali, a local elder, said. 

Somalia has been at war since 1991, when clan-based warlords overthrew dictator Siad Barre and then turned on each other.

Al Shabaab frequently attacks Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia.