Kenya’s military said most hostages had been rescued late Sunday after security forces launched a major operation to end the siege at the upscale Nairobi mall where al-Qaeda-linked militants killed at least 68 people and injured 175 others.
No more than 10 hostages were still being held in the building, Colonel Cyrus Oguna said. He however cautioned that the military “cannot tell when this siege is going to end.” Security forces and sharp shooters were backed up by helicopters circling over the four-storey mall on the second day of the siege.
Heavy rounds of gunshots and grenade explosions could be heard coming from the building in the late afternoon as the military-led operation began.
“Most of the hostages have been rescued and security forces have taken control of most parts of the building,” the Kenya Defence Forces said on Twitter, adding that four soldiers were injured in the operation.
Some 10 to 15 attackers from the Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab were cornered in one part of the building with the hostages when security forces launched what they described as a “major assault.” The mall, a popular shopping spot for expatriates and locals, has been cordoned off and security has been beefed up across Nairobi.
“We will punish the masterminds swiftly and indeed very painfully,” President Uhuru Kenyatta said in an afternoon television address, describing the attack as “despicable and beastly.” Heavily armed Islamist extremists targeted non-Muslims after storming the shopping centre around 12:30 pm (0930 GMT) on Saturday.
More than 1,000 people have since escaped the building.
The governments of Canada, France, Britain, the Netherlands and the United States said some of their citizens had been killed or injured in the massacre.
Kenyatta said his nephew and his fiance were among the dead.
Ghanaian poet and academic Kofi Awoonor was also killed.
Kenyan politician Ben Mulwa, a candidate in the March presidential election, was injured.
“I saw the attackers. They had long rifles. They were dressed in Yasser Arafat-like headgear and were speaking a mixture of languages.
I saw them shoot a guard in the head. I hid in a flowerbed,” Mulwa said from hospital.
Another witness, who was among those freed on Sunday, said, “A young man was shooting very furiously. He had a headscarf. They were shooting, but I walked to the basement exit. That is how I escaped.” Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility and said it was unwilling to negotiate with the Kenyan government.
Demand to withdraw troops from Somalia
An unnamed leader of the militia told Britain’s Channel 4 that the group viewed Kenya as a “war zone” and would continue to attack the country until Nairobi withdraws its troops from southern Somalia.
“We will hit them anywhere we can,” the unnamed leader said in an interview aired on Britain’s Channel 4. The group’s Twitter accounts have been suspended.
The government sent troops to Somalia in 2011 to fight an insurgency and prevent cross-border raids, following a spate of kidnappings by al-Shabaab on Kenyan soil.
“We stand shoulder to shoulder with the Kenyan government. We are on top of this. We will make sure this won’t happen again inside Somalia or inside Kenya,” Somali ambassador Mohamed Ali Nur told ntv.
The attack was condemned by many leaders of the Muslim community in Kenya, which makes up about 10 per cent of the East African nation’s population.
Hospitals in Nairobi said their capacities were stretched due to the high number of casualties and called for blood donations. They also reported they had run out of blood and equipment.
Churches across the country held prayers for the victims and their families.
The mall lies in Westlands, a wealthy Nairobi neighbourhood where United Nations workers and diplomats reside and often frequent the mall on weekends.
Leaders condemn terrorist attack
It is the worst terrorist attack in Kenya since a bomb attack on the US embassy 15 years ago.
“This premeditated act, targeting defenceless civilians, is totally reprehensible. The perpetrators must be brought to justice as soon as possible,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said.
The UN Security Council and African Union chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma also condemned the terrorist assault.
US President Barack Obama, whose father was Kenyan, spoke with Kenyatta by telephone and sent his condolences.
Meanwhile Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto has asked the International Criminal Court to put his crimes against humanity trial on hold, according to a court filing.
The Hague-based court is expected to consider the application for an adjournment, to allow him to return home to deal with the terrorist attack, when proceedings resume on Monday.
Ruto is charged with orchestrating murder and the forcible displacement of people on ethnic grounds following the disputed 2007 election in Kenya. Kenyatta is also due to stand trial on similar charges in November.