Nairobi shooting: Kenya forces take over mall after long standoff, 62 dead

Kenya security personnel take cover outside the Westgate Mall after shooting started inside the mall early Monday morning, Sept. 23, 2013. Kenya's military launched a major operation at the upscale Nairobi mall and said it had rescued "most" of the hostages being held captive by al-Qaida-linked militants during the standoff that killed at least 68 people and injured 175. (NEWSis/AP Photo)

Kenyan security forces continue its operation on Tuesday inside the mall where 62 people were killed by gunmen since Saturday, after more gunmen were killed as the siege of the mall enters the fourth day.

“Security forces killed 6 of the remaining attackers,” Kenya’s Citizen TV said without giving detail of the source. The Kenya Defense Forces said on Monday that three terrorists were killed and a few were injured.

The government said earlier that there were 10 to 15 gunmen fighting inside the mall where 62 people were killed and 175 were injured, the deadliest attack since the bombing at U.S. Embassy in Nairobi killed more than 200 people. Somali militant group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was part of retaliation for the cross-border incursion by Kenyan soldiers in October 2011.

Fresh gunshots where heard around 9:30 a.m. from the mall, according to people working nearby and a police officer involved in the operation, after gunfire erupted at around 6:20 a.m. in the complex near which Xinhua reported counted about 30 shots. The fresh fight between Kenyan security forces and gunmen broke the silence that persisted for hours over night which caused speculation that the siege of the mall might have ended.

“Our security forces were still combing the huge Westgate shopping center floor-by-floor to ensure that there were no grenades or any other explosive material that were left behind the terrorists,” a senior police officer who was involved in the operation told Xinhua by telephone after the gunfight.

Unidentified armed foreigners, accompanied by Kenyan security forces, enter the main entrance of the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013. Working near bodies crushed by rubble in a bullet-scarred, scorched mall, FBI agents began fingerprint, DNA and ballistic analysis Wednesday to help determine the identities and nationalities of victims and al-Shabab gunmen who attacked the shopping center, killing more than 60 people. (NEWSis/AP)

The officer who insisted on anonymity said there are still gunman inside the mall and there was exchange of fires between security forces and gunmen. More troops will be deployed for the operation he said. The special security forces will continue to secure the Westgate mall building for some time to ensure that all bodies were pulled out, the officer told Xinhua earlier Tuesday before the latest gunfight.

“The building may still be inaccessible to the public and media for a while since there are some bodies yet to be pulled out of the building,” the officer said. “We also want to be sure that there are no dangerous devices that were left behind by the six terrorists who were killed during the rescue operation,” he added.

The interior ministry said earlier that “We believe all hostages have been released.” Kenya’s cabinet secretary for foreign affairs and international trade Amina Mohamed said “two or three Americans and one Brit” were among the attackers who carried out the shooting spree on Saturday and continued the standoff with security forces into a fourth day.

Mohamed told America’s Public Broadcasting Service’s NewsHour program that the Americans were 18 to 19 years old of Somali or Arab origin and lived “in Minnesota and one other place” in the U. S.  The FBI is investigating reports that some Americans who joined the Somali insurgents were involved in the mall attack.

U.S. President Barack Obama said he has spoken directly with Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta, and will provide whatever law enforcement assistance Kenya needs and expressed confidence that Nairobi will rebuild. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta is due to address the nation Tuesday.

The attack dealt a further blow to the east African nation where tourism is a pillar industry, which is already dented by increased insurgency after Kenya’s military intervention in Somalia. Kenyatta has urged wealthy governments not to issue warnings to their citizens against visiting Kenya as it would damage the country’s tourism and economy. <NEWSis/Xinhua>