National elections are impossible amid rampant violence orchestrated by the Somali Islamic extremist group al-Shabab, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said in a statement. Mohamud's term expires in August.

Mohamud denied the opposition allegations. In his statement, he said that his government intends to focus on a review of the Constitution as well as building a strong national army.

Elected in 2012, Mohamud's government has struggled to assert its authority across the Horn of Africa nation. Although al-Shabab militants have been driven out of their major strongholds over the years, they still control some parts of rural Somalia from which they plot attacks.

Al-Shabab, which has ties with al-Qaida, has stepped up lethal attacks in recent months, targeting African Union forces, government officials and foreigners.

On Sunday, at least 15 people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden truck at the upscale Jazeera Hotel in the capital, Mogadishu.

--AP--