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The African Union (AU) has vowed to continue its mission in Somalia, despite the killing of 14 peacekeepers in suicide blasts claimed by Islamists. The dead included the deputy commander of the AU force in Somalia. Shelling after the double bombing left at least 13 people dead, mostly civilians, witnesses say. Spokesman Maj Barigye Ba-hoku said the AU would continue to work with "peace-loving Somalis", however he admitted that the mission was "complicated". "We do not run away when the situation worsens," said Lt Col Felix Kulayigye, a spokesman for the Ugandan military, which contributes about half of the 5,000-strong AU force. "We go there hoping for the best and expecting the worst. If it's good, we'd be glad, but if it's bad, we'd adjust accordingly to deal with it," he said. The peacekeepers are helping to protect the weak, UN-backed government in its battle against Islamist insurgents. Burundi is the only other country to have sent peacekeepers to Somalia. Its senior officer in Somalia, Maj Gen Juvenal Niyonguruza, was among the dead. The BBC's Prime Ndikumagenge in Burundi says the government has yet to comment on the deaths. Other countries, such as Nigeria, have promised to contribute troops but these have not arrived. The UN has also said it will take over the mission - at an unspecified date. A security official said two white vehicles with UN logos, but packed with explosives, drove into the AU base near the Mogadishu airport before blowing up. The Islamist al-Shabab group said the attacks were revenge for a US raid on Monday. This reportedly killed Kenyan-born al-Qaeda suspect Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, who was wanted by the US for attacks in Kenya.