NAIROB(Araweelo News Network) Government security forces on Monday pushed into a Nairobi shopping mall as it spewed black smoke, in an operation to free the remaining hostages from
Gunfire and large explosions punctuated the rescue mission, sending hundreds of bystanders scurrying away from the Westgate Mall and turning a busting suburb of East Africa’s commercial capital into a conflict zone. The smoke came from a fire set by the militants in a supermarket in an attempt to prevent the security forces from advancing, said Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku. He said it didn’t foil the assault and that there were now only a few civilians left in the mall, although he declined to give a number.
“Almost all of them have been evacuated,” Mr. Ole Lenku told reporters outside the mall. “There will be very, very minimal [numbers of civilians], if any, in the building.” He added that Kenyan forces now were in control of all floors of the four-storey building, but militants could be seen “running and hiding.”
He said he could confirm 62 people had been killed since attackers armed with assault rifles and grenades stormed the shopping center at lunchtime Saturday in an attack claimed by the Somali al-Shabaab militant Islamist group. The Red Cross had previously said at least 69 were dead. Mr. Ole Lenku said the Red Cross figure might be inflated.
Before Monday’s government operation, at least 47 people were believed to be still trapped inside, based on Red Cross missing persons reports.
Kenyan police have been promising a major assault on the shopping center for days, but also said they were moving forward slowly in order to protect the lives of civilians hiding inside and possibility being held at gunpoint by the attackers. Earlier Monday, police widened the security cordon around the mall, closing off additional streets to cars. Security forces could also be seen in the late morning massing near the main entrance of the mall. Helicopters circled overhead.
Occasional gunshots sounded throughout the morning and then, at about 1:30 p.m., a volley of gunfire went off and two large explosions were heard. Smoke then started streaming from one side of the building. More gunshots could be heard two hours later, followed by what appeared to be return fire.
A sense of siege has permeated the city—other major malls have been closed and the government has increased security at the airport and seaport.
Mr. Ole Lenku declined to give details on the operation, but did say two of the approximately 10-15 attackers inside were killed in Monday’s assault. He also said reports of women being among the assailants were incorrect. He said some of the militants had disguised themselves as women, but all were men. The Kenyan government has had access to the mall’s closed-circuit television feed since Sunday, so has been able to monitor some of their movements. He also said 10 Kenyan security forces had been wounded and were receiving treatment.
Maj. Gen. Julius Karanja, the chief of general staff for the Kenyan military, said that the attackers came from a number of countries, although he declined to provide details.
“We have an idea who these people are, and they are clearly a multinational collection from all over the world,” Mr. Karanja said.
The attack began Saturday, with attackers storming at least three entrances to the mall simultaneously. Gunfire ripped through open-air cafes at the main entrance, while a grenade exploded in the rooftop parking lot and another group of shooters opened fire in the basement garage. Kenyan officials said more than 1,000 people initially trapped inside the mall managed to escape. More than 175 people were injured in the assault.
“Their mission was to kill, not to steal,” said Edwin Omoding, a 26-year-old stocker for the Nakumatt supermarket inside the mall. He said he saw about 20 attackers, including three women.
“They were questioning people, and they said, ‘If you are Muslim you are on the safer side, but if you are Hindu or Christian you will be killed’,” Mr. Omoding said.
He said he and four others hid next to a large walk-in refrigerator, while other people hid in the refrigerator itself. At one point the attackers shot everyone inside the refrigerator, without noticing his group. Mr. Omoding said a bullet grazed his chest but he kept quiet and remained unseen, and was rescued at 9 p.m. Saturday.
Among the dead were four Britons, two Canadians including a diplomat, two French women and a prominent Ghanaian poet, their governments said. The U.K. government, which said the Britons’ next of kin had been informed, added that the number of British fatalities could rise. The local press reported that a Kenyan radio presenter was killed on the roof, and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said his nephew and nephew’s fiancée died in the attack.
When the shooting started, some in the mall ran in one direction only to find themselves facing another flank of shooters. “We tried to escape through the main gate, but the attackers were also coming through that gate. So we turned and tried to go back to the basement,” said Peter Ouma, a 25-year-old construction worker.
Mr. Ouma, who was in the basement when attackers entered, said they were dressed in black with their faces masked “like ninjas.” He said there was one woman in that group.
“They were at all the exits; even if you wanted to escape you couldn’t,” Mr. Ouma said. He first hid with about 10 others under a stairwell, then managed to slide underneath a car in the parking garage and stayed there until he was rescued by soldiers Sunday morning.
The deadliest attack to hit Kenya since the 1998 U.S. embassy bombing started around 12:30 p.m. local time Saturday.
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