A Ugandan military officer serving in Somalia was killed and six other soldiers were wounded when their convoy triggered a roadside bomb, Uganda's military said on Monday, blaming fighters from the al-Shabaab militant group.

Uganda has about 5,000 troops serving in Somalia under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) peacekeeping mission.

Major Patrick Opio Awany was killed by the explosion in the village of Ceel-Werigow, around 70 kilometres (43 miles) southwest of the capital Mogadishu on Sunday, Ibrahim Kasule Sekitto, spokesperson for the Ugandan troops, said.

Awany was commanding the convoy, which was heading from Mogadishu to Ceeljale in the Lower Shabelle region, Sekitto told Reuters.

'Won't deter us'

"This attack won't deter us, it will instead stiffen our resolve to continue supporting peace efforts in Somalia," he said.

Al-Shabaab has been fighting for more than a decade to topple Somalia's central government and install its rule.

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