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Kenya: Westgate Mall seige by al-Shabaab terrorists over – President Uhuru Kenyatta
Firefighters outside the Westgate Mall, Nairobi, Kenya. PHOTO/Noor Khamis/Reuters
Kenyan officials have announced the imminent end of the siege for the past 3 days – something al-Shabaab spokesmen have mocked in commentaries and in postings on social media.
Some hours before Kenyatta spoke, the group said its militants were still holding out with hostages and that there were “countless dead bodies” still inside the complex.
“There are countless number of dead bodies still scattered inside the mall, and the Mujahideen are still holding their ground #Westgate,” the group said on its Twitter feed.
“The hostages who were being held by the Mujahideen inside #Westgate are still alive, looking quite disconcerted but, nevertheless, alive.”
It described its fighters as “unruffled and strolling around the mall in such sangfroid manner”.
In an audio statement posted via Twitter, al-Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage called the militants’ action a “deadly thrust” by “loyal soldiers seeking to rewrite history”. If Kenya failed to pull troops out of Somalia and free al-Shabaab prisoners it should “expect dark days”.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Kenyan military said its forces were carrying out “mop up operations” in the building.
