Four thunderous explosions rattled Nairobi’s Westgate Mall where two Al-Shabab captors were killed by security forces on Monday.
Kenya’s Interior Minister said the evacuation of hostages “has gone very, very well” and that Kenyan officials are “very certain” that there are a few, if any, hostages left in the building.
Interior Minister Joseph Ole lenku revised the death toll to 62. Kenyan officials earlier said 59 people had died since the siege on Westgate Mall began on Saturday, while the Red Cross had put the toll at 68, then in a tweet lowered it to 62, saying some bodies had been counted twice.
Dark plumes of smoke rose from the mall for more than an hour after four large explosions rocked the upscale Westlands neighborhood. A person with knowledge of the rescue operation said that the smoke was rising up and out of a large skylight inside the mall’s main department and grocery store, Nakumatt, where goods like mattresses may have been lit.
Kenya Chief of Defence forces General Julius Karangi said fighters from an array of nations participated in the attack claimed by Al-Shabab, a Somali group allied with Al-Qaeda.
Karangi said Kenyan forces were in charge of all floors inside the mall, though terrorists could still be hiding inside. Earlier witness reports had indicated that a woman was among the estimated 10 to 15 attackers. lenku said that instead some male attackers had dressed up like women.
The four explosions were followed by volleys of gunfire, then a thick, dark column of smoke that burned for roughly 90 minutes. A large military assault began shortly before sundown on Sunday. Military and police helicopters and one plane circled over the Nairobi mall, giving the upscale neighborhood the feel of a war zone.
On Sunday, Kenyan officials announced that “most” hostages had been rescued. But no numbers were given. Kenyan officials have never said how many hostages they thought the attackers had, but have said preserving the hostages’ lives is a top priority, greatly complicating the final fight against the attackers.
Kenyans and foreigners were among those confirmed dead, including British, French, Canadians, Indians, a Ghanaian, a South African and a Chinese woman. The UK Foreign Office said on Monday it has confirmed the deaths of four British nationals.
Indian-origin media personality killed: Ruhila Adatia-Sood, a popular media personality of Indian-origin, was among those killed when Islamist militants besieged a swanky mall in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.
At the Oshwal Centre next to the mall, the Red Cross was using a squat concrete structure that houses a Hindu temple as a triage centre. Medical workers attended to at least two wounded Kenyan soldiers.
Al-Shabab said on a Twitter feed, an account that unlike some others appears to be genuine, that the attackers had lots of ammunition. The feed said that Kenya’s government would be responsible for any loss of hostages’ lives.