Burundi has completed its deployment of another 850 soldiers to Somalia, bringing to about 3,400 the total number of African Union peacekeepers stationed in the war-torn country, an army spokesman Adolphe Manirakiza told AFP.

Two Burundian troops were wounded on Sunday when a bomb exploded near Mogadishu airport as the new contingent was being deployed.

Uganda was the first country to contribute troops to AMISOM (African mission in Somalia) in March 2007 and Burundi followed in 2008, but the force is still far short of the 8,000 soldiers initially announced by the AU.

AU peacekeepers have struggled to make an impact in Somalia, where they are targeted by Islamist insurgents seeking to regain power from Ethiopian-backed government forces.