Eurasia Press & News
Kenyan troops launched an assault Sept. 22 to end a terrifying siege by Somali militants holding hostages inside a shopping mall, with police warning the death toll of 68 people could rise “much higher”.
Shortly after night fell with the siege well into its second day, teams backed by Israeli agents moved in to end the bloodbath at the upmarket Westgate complex.
“Godspeed to our guys in the Westgate building,” Kenya’s National Disaster Operation Centre said in a message on its Twitter site. “Major engagement ongoing.” The disaster centre, which said the assault “will end tonight” reported “sporadic gunfire” as the troops battled the remaining attackers, while an AFP reporter outside the mall heard a loud explosion as helicopters flew overhead.
“The criminals are now all located in one place within the building… We have as good a chance to successfully neutralise the terrorists as we can hope for,” Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said in a speech to the nation.
Kenyatta, who called for patience, said he had received “numerous offers of assistance from friendly countries” but that for now it remained a Kenyan operation.
