Kenyan forces have Nairobi mall ‘under control’

Kenyan forces have Nairobi mall 'under control'
Tamil NewsYesterday, 05:30

Kenyan authorities said on Tuesday that they have full control over the Nairobi shopping mall under siege for a third day, and that all hostages are believed to have been evacuated.
Security forces, close to ending the siege, were still conducting searches for explosives and any remaining gunmen inside the four-storey complex where at least 62 people were killed and 175 injured since Saturday.

"Our forces are combing the mall floor by floor looking for anyone left behind. We believe all hostages have been released," the Interior Ministry said on its Twitter feed, shortly after announcing: "We are in control of Westgate." The Interior Ministry earlier confirmed the deaths of three of the estimated 10 to 15 al-Qaeda-linked militants. Authorities had detained and were questioning 10 people in relation to the attack.

Loud explosions and sustained gunfire were heard several times on Monday in the upmarket Westgate shopping centre, and black smoke continued to billow in the evening from a blaze that authorities said was started by the attackers.

The ministry declined to give specifics on the hostages or when operations might be concluded. The head of the military, General Julius Karange, said the attack was staged by a "multinational" group.

Spokesmen for the Somali Islamist militia al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack - a coordinated operation in central Nairobi using grenades and automatic weapons - and said there would be no negotiations with the government.

Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, an al-Shabaab leader, told a radio station in Somalia that the remaining attackers would fight to the death, calling the massacre part of a global jihad.

"This is a holy war between believers and non-believers," he said, calling for more attacks.

Al-Shabaab said the attack was in response to Kenya's military presence in southern Somalia.

Kenya sent troops to Somalia in 2011 to fight an insurgency and prevent cross-border raids following a spate of kidnappings on Kenyan soil by al-Shabaab. The Kenyan troops are now part of an African Union peacekeeping mission.

Eleven soldiers had been injured in the latest assault. The current death toll of 62 civilians could rise, Kenyan officials said.

More than 200 civilians have been rescued from inside the chaotic shopping mall, which was frequented on the weekend by hundreds of locals and foreigners.

There were still 65 people receiving treatment in hospitals across Nairobi. The Red Cross said 63 people were listed as missing.

Deputy President William Ruto, being tried on charges of crimes against humanity, was allowed to return for a week from The Hague to Kenya by the International Criminal Court to help with the crisis.

He said the government would ensure the security of Kenyans, commenting that the attackers "work for the devil." "We shall sustain the work of keeping Kenya safe to protect ourselves and our prosperity," Mr. Ruto said.

The governments of Canada, France, Britain, South Africa, the Netherlands and the United States said their citizens were among the dead or wounded.

Finnish Interior Minister Paivi Rasanen said Helsinki was investigating reports that a Finnish national might have participated in the attack.

Al-Shabaab made unconfirmed claims that US and British nationals were involved in the deadliest terrorist attack in Kenya since the 1998 bombing of the US embassy.

In Washington, White House national security official Ben Rhodes said the al-Shabaab claims had not yet been confirmed, but that US officials "have for some time been concerned about efforts by to recruit Americans or US persons to come to Somalia." US President Barack Obama called the attack a "terrible outrage" and offered any law enforcement assistance Kenya required. The European Union likewise condemned the attack.

"We want to assure our international visitors and tourists not to panic," she said in remarks broadcast on local KTN television.

British Prime Minister David Cameron cut short his annual visit to Queen Elizabeth II at her home in Balmoral, Scotland, to lead a meeting of his cabinet's emergency committee.

Kenyan security forces were believed to be sharing information with foreign security agencies, as they try to find a way to fully regain control over the shopping centre.

Israel's deputy ambassador to Nairobi, Yaki Lopez, said his country was helping Kenya. "We are on the ground. We are providing help," he told the Israeli news website Ynet, giving no further details.

Tourism is a vital source of revenue for Kenya, and Tourism Minister Phyllis Jepkosgei Kandie urged travellers not to cancel planned visits.

A steady stream of volunteers lined up at blood banks in Nairobi and across Kenya, in response to a call by hospitals for donations to treat the wounded.

Kenyans had raised more than 70,000 dollars to help victims of the attack.

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