At least 13 people were killed Saturday in Somalia's war-wracked capital Mogadishu after a suspected suicide bombing triggered street fighting, Radio Garowe reports.

A Somali police officer stopped a vehicle loaded with explosives at a checkpoint along Maka al Mukarrama Road, where the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) maintains a base, witnesses said.

The car exploded immediately, killing both the driver, the police officer and civilians inside a nearby public bus.

A Mogadishu local government official, Mr. Abdifatah Shaweye, blamed "foreigners" for the suicide bombing.

"More than 13 people including three women died and we found the hand of the suicide bomber, who was clearly a foreigner," Mr. Shaweye told reporters after the attack.

Mogadishu hospital sources said more than 20 wounded persons, including seven children, were admitted for treatment, following a 30-minute battle that ensued after the bombing, which involved the use of AMISOM tanks.

"There were no casualties on our side but we are truly saddened by the civilian deaths," said Maj. Behoku Barigye, the AMISOM spokesman in Mogadishu.

Traditional elders and religious personalities in Mogadishu immediately condemned the attack.

The AU Peace and Security Commissioner, Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, denounced the bombing as a "cowardly terrorist act" that goes against the prospects of peace and stability in Somalia.

Unconfirmed reports said Al Shabaab insurgents claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing.