Explosions heard at Kenya shopping centre

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 24 September 2013 | 22.40

Kenyan security forces have moved to end the siege at a Nairobi shopping centre where at least 62 people were killed in an attack carried out by the Somali al-Shabaab group.

"The Westgate Mall is under full control of government forces and we are carrying out a sweep to ensure it's safe for everyone," Kenya Police said in a statement.

Earlier, there were reports of loud explosions inside the complex and part of the centre's roof is said to have collapsed.

Around 200 people were wounded in the attack, which began on Saturday.

However, al-Shabaab has claimed that there are "countless dead bodies" in the shopping centre.

A burst of gunfire was heard this morning as Kenyan police and troops continued their search of the complex.

A Kenyan intelligence officer said there are still gunmen in the building, but could not confirm if there were any hostages still inside.

Kenya believes there are foreigners among the Islamist fighters that attacked the complex, although this has been denied by al-Shabaab.

Military chief Julius Karangi said they were "fighting global terrorism here", but he did not give any information on nationalities.

However, Kenyan Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed said in a US television interview that "two or three Americans" and a British woman were among the attackers.

She told PBS's Newshour that the Americans were "young men, about between maybe 18 and 19".

She said there were of "Somali origin or Arab origin, but lived in the US, in Minnesota and one other place".

US authorities said they are looking into information given by the Kenyan government that residents of Western countries, including the US, may have been among the attackers.

White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said he had no direct information that Americans had participated in the attack.

Kenya's Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said the militants had set fire to mattresses in a supermarket on the shopping centre's lower floors and his ministry later said the blaze was under control.

The government said yesterday that three of the attackers had died and a television report today said "six of the remaining attackers" were killed.

There has been no clear official tally.

A spokesman for al-Shabaab warned it would kill hostages if Kenyan troops tried to storm its positions.

"The mujahideen will kill the hostages if the enemies use force," Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage said in an online audio statement.

British Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said he believed six Britons had died in the attack.

Other known foreign victims are from China, Ghana, France, the Netherlands and Canada.

Speculation grows over identity of attackers

Mr Ole Lenku said all the attackers were men but that some had dressed as women.

However, despite his comments, one intelligence officer and two soldiers told Reuters that one of the dead militants was a white woman.

This has fuelled speculation that she is the wanted widow of one of the suicide bombers involved in the attacks on London's transport system in 2005 in which 50 people died.

Called the "white widow" by the British media, Samantha Lewthwaite - who is originally from Northern Ireland - is wanted in connection with an alleged plot to attack hotels and restaurants in Kenya.

Asked if the dead woman was Ms Lewthwaite, the intelligence officer said: "We don't know."

British security sources have said it is "a possibility" that Ms Lewthwaite was involved in the Nairobi attack, but as yet there is no conclusive evidence.

Fate of people listed as missing is unclear

Security forces are reported to have taken control of the shopping centre and police were doing a final sweep of shops after the last of the hostages had been rescued.

A trickle of survivors escaped the building throughout the day yesterday, but the fate of those people listed as missing was unclear.

The attack began on Saturday afternoon and Kenyan officials have said there were between ten to 15 attackers.

US President Barack Obama has offered US support, saying he believed Kenya would continue to be a regional pillar of stability.

Kenya sent troops to Somalia as part of an African Union force trying to stabilise the country, which was long without a functioning government, and push back al-Shabaab.

Security remains the number one challenge

Meanwhile, the United Nations envoy for Somalia has called for additional African troops to counter al-Shabaab, which he said numbered around 5,000 people and posed an international threat.

Nicholas Kay, UN special representative for Somalia, said there was a "once-in-a-generation" opportunity to help bring peace to Somalia.

"Security remains the number one challenge, the control and defeating of al-Shabaab is key to this," Mr Kay said.

"The amount of money that we're talking about that's required for the extra effort in Somalia would be very small. But the cost of walking away would be very expensive."


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