Forensic experts are combing the Westgate shopping mall for traces of explosives. The Kenyan government has also declared a 3-day national mourning period. The battle seems to be 'over' as further developments would finally reveal. Kenyan police reveal they are currently sweeping the mall and checking for explosives. A local official also said that the city morgues is preparing for the arrival of a large number of bodies of the victims of the Westgate mall attack, which currently stands at 62. There are many bodies remaining inside the mall, according to an AP witness - a brother of one of the soldiers taking part in the military operation.
The UN Envoy for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, said that the price of walking away from Somalia would be very high, Reuters reports. "Security remains the number one challenge, the control and defeating of al Shabaab is key to this," Kay told the press in Geneva. "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."
The militants inside Westgate claim there are still live hostages inside the shopping mall, according to various international news sources. The al-Shabaab militia claims they have spoken to their 'mujahideen' (fighters) and despite earlier claims that the fighting could be coming to a close, say "the fighting has just started."
The militants are disputing the claims that foreigners were among the ranks of the hostage-takers. And those that claim they are American or British "do not know what is going on," Reuters reports. At the same time, a British security source says it is "a possibility" that Samantha Lewthwaite, a UK citizen, was involved with the militants, but added that no conclusive evidence exists yet to support the claim.
As Kenya's military searches Westgate mall for remaining terrorist elements and finds out more about their identities, al-Shabaab claims the 'mujahideen' are "still holding their ground," Reuters report. Al-Shabaab now claims on their Twitter that they are changing into uniforms of dead soldiers.
Kenya's Interior Ministry says Al Qaeda was behind the attack not al Shabaab. The conclusion of the battle is ongoing as Kenya's forces are now taking full charge of Westgate. The forces of evil shall never triumph over that of good. Africa is really proud of Kenya and its Police cum Military forces. Victory shall always be that of the continent over those who intend to destabilize and disturb the peace.
Kenya Defence Forces say over 200 civilians have been rescued from a besieged shopping mall as the bloody hostage crisis continues into its third day Nairobi. The military says all possible escape routes
were sealed and attackers’ chances of escape are very slim.
Kenya's Interior Ministry says the government will stand by the families of the victims. The Minister for Interior states that people should not take to spreading false information that the country is theirs and is under their control not in the hands of the inhuman and inhumane terrorists. The Minister says people should not say the terrorists blew the building as all activities are being coordinated by the Security Forces.
Meanwhile, the President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan said the storming of the Westgate Mall is a dastardly act on humanity. He called on the world to rise against terrorism by revealing that any attack on the innocent ones in any nation is an attack on everyone on the globe. He strongly condemned the Boko Haram sect and al Shabaab militants saying all these senseless termination of lives are alien to Africa and must be combated headlong.
RT reports that heavy gunfire, explosions heard at the Kenyan shopping mall, witnesses report. Smoke is seen rising from the area. TV footage from the scene showed Kenyan troops running into the complex. "It is us who caused the explosion, we are trying to get in through the roof," one security official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters at the scene. Journalists and their cameras have been moved and no longer have a clear sight of the mall.
A suspected member of the terrorist group currently holding hostages in a Kenyan shopping mall was arrested in the Netherlands. Muhammed Hussein Ahmed, a 38-year-old Dutch citizen, was detained after he bought a plane ticket to Turkey, Dutch TV RTL reported. Some of the hostages held by militants have been rescued in the latest twist of the rescue operation, AFP reports citing Kenyan police chief. The Kenyan Red Cross has revised the number of deaths in the mall attack to 62, reducing the death toll by seven. The previous number was wrong due to double counts of some bodies as they were moved from morgue to morgue.
Two shopping mall attackers have been killed and others wounded by Kenyan troops, Interior Minister Joseph Lenku told journalists. Some of the Kenyan forces sustained injuries in the firefight. The minister said all of the attackers were male, but some were wearing female clothes, which probably explained witness accounts, which said there were women among the terrorists. He added that the plume of smoke rising over the mall comes from mattresses, which have been set alight by the gunmen as a decoy.
International Criminal Court proceedings for the trial of Kenya's deputy president have been put on a week's hold as a result of the hostage crisis, Reuters reports. Two blasts accompanied by brief gunfire were heard from inside the Nairobi mall, according to a Reuters witness. The news comes as Israeli advisers are aiding Kenyan forces with developing a strategy to end the siege, after having earlier tried and failed to enter the building.
"Israelis and Kenyan forces have tried to enter Westgate (mall) by force but they could not, the mujahideen (fighters) will kill the hostages if the enemies use force," Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, Al-Shabaab spokesman said earlier in clip posted on the website. Heavy gun fire exchanges can still be heard and the battle ranges on.
