Iraq.....
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-09/22/c_132740626.htm
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2013/09/police-ignored-exposed-westgate-terrorist-survivor/
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 21 – A survivor of the Westgate terrorist attack has recounted how police ignored him when he pointed to them one of the gunmen who disguised himself as a victim.
http://rt.com/news/nairobi-mall-attack-fatalities-182/
One of the British witnesses of the attack said that she and 60 others barricaded themselves in a large storeroom.
"We kept running to different places but the shots were getting louder so we barricaded ourselves along with about 60 others in a large storeroom. There were children hiding with us as well as someone who had been shot," Hannah Chisholm told BBC. "The gunfire was loud and we were scared but at that point we thought the gunmen were thieves so we assumed they wouldn't try to reach the storeroom."
This is the biggest terrorist attack in Nairobi since 1998, when bombing at the U.S. Embassy left 213 dead. At that time Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attacks.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2013-09/22/c_132740628.htm
Suicide Bombers Attack Iraq Funeral, Police; 109 Killed, 173 Wounded
by Margaret Griffis, September 21, 2013
Updated at 4:15 p.m. EDT, Sept. 21, 2013
At least 109 people were killed and 173 more were wounded today, mostly in two brazen attacks. In the worst assault, suicide bombers targeted a funeral in heavily populated Sadr City. Suicide bombers, these wearing police uniforms, also took advantage of a national police station in the north, as the commandos were out on maneuvers.
Two suicide bombers attacked a Sadr City funeral, leaving 72 dead and 120 wounded. The first bomber stationed an explosives-laden car near a funeral tent in this large district of the capital. A second bomber then walked in before exploding his bombs. A car bombing was also reported in the Jamila neighborhood, but the number of casualties wasn’t reported.
In Baghdad, a bomb killed nine people and wounded 14 more in the Urneighborhood, near Sadr City. Four people were killed in a shooting at a Adhamiya district liquor store.
Six suicide bombers dressed in SWAT uniforms stormed a police commando headquarters in Baiji, where they killed seven policemen and wounded 21 others. Many of the real commandos stationed there were out on a security operation at the time.
In Mosul, two prison guards were killed at their homes; the one of their mothers was wounded. A roadside bomb killed two soldiers and wounded four more. A soldier was shot dead at a checkpoint. A lawmaker’s home was blown up.
One person was killed and six more were wounded when an I.E.D. exploded near homes and shops in Abu Ghraib.
Gunmen killed one Sahwa member and wounded four more in Shirqat.
Smugglers at the Syrian border killed a captain and wounded two soldiers.
One soldier was killed and another was wounded when an I.E.D. blew up nearFalluja.
A clash took place in Hawija, but no casualties were reported.
A bomb targeting the deputy chairman on the Anbar province council exploded inAmiriyat al-Falluja, but no casualties were reported.
and Pakistan....
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| English.news.cn 2013-09-22 18:40:40 |        |
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- At least 56 people were killed and 120 others injured when a twin suicide bomb attack hit a Christian church in Pakistan's northwest city of Peshawar on Sunday, hospital sources said.
Chief executive of Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, which admitted all the blast victims, told local media that they have received 56 dead bodies including two policemen, 10 women and 15 children, and over 120 injured.
He said that the death toll may further rise as over 20 among the injured were in critical condition.
Briefing about the attack, Zaheer-ul-Islam, deputy commissioner of Peshawar, said that the incident happened at about 11:45 a.m. local time when two suicide bombers blew up their explosive-laden vests inside the church when around 500 to 600 people of Christian community were coming out of the church after offering Sunday prayers.
He confirmed that the blast hit the Christian church called " Pakistan Church" in Kohati Gate area of Peshawar, killing about 60 people and wounding over 100 others wounded.
Shafqat Malik, inspector general of Bomb Disposal Squad, said that the blasts took place one after another and the two suicide bombers were carrying an estimated seven kg of explosives each in their explosive vests.
He said that they found a head of one of the suicide bombers from the roof of the church, which is being examined by the medical team.
Priest Ijaz, administrator of the church, said that the blasts occurred when some people were going back to their homes after prayers and some were having lunch outside the prayer hall.
Talking to media, father of a deceased minor girl said "We were going out of the church after expressing our gratitude to God in prayers when the bomber attacked us, he killed our women, our kids and our men mercilessly."
The bomb attack triggered off a protest by the Christian community in the city.
Christian community across the country announced a three-day protest against the incident and urged the government to provide security to churches across the country.
Bishop Sadiq Daniel, representative of Christian community in Pakistan, condemned the attack and said that no religion allows anyone to attack religious places.
Security at all churches across the county was beefed up following the blast, said local media.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
Both Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have condemned the attack.
and in Kenya - state of affairs prior to the siege starting Saturday at the Mall ....
http://news.yahoo.com/death-toll-boko-haram-attack-rises-143-nigerian-181306470.html
BENISHEIK, Nigeria (Reuters) - Islamist Boko Haram militants killed 159 people in two roadside attacks in northeast Nigeria this week, officials said, far more than was originally reported and a sign that a four-month-old army offensive has yet to stabilize the region.
In the first attack, on Tuesday, Boko Haram guerrillas wearing army uniforms stopped traffic on a highway between the cities of Maiduguri and Damaturu, dragging people out of their vehicles and killing them, with 143 bodies recovered so far.
Violence in northeast Nigeria has intensified over the past two months, as the Islamists fight back against a military operation that President Goodluck Jonathan ordered in May to try to crush their four-year-old rebellion.
Tuesday's toll was initially given as "more than 20", but information often takes days to trickle out of the remote and sparsely populated region, where roads are bad, curfews are in force and the military has cut the phone network since May.
"We have been picking corpses off the roadsides all day, there are more in the bush," said Abdulazeez Kolomi, an Environmental Protection Agency official in Benisheik village.
"They are all travelers slaughtered by Boko Haram gunmen. We have so far picked up 143 corpses."
On Thursday, following a similar pattern, Boko Haram insurgents killed at least 16 people in an attack on travelers plying a highway from Maiduguri to Bamboa, a police source collecting bodies on the scene told Reuters.
Thousands have been killed since the shadowy sect launched its uprising against the state in 2009, turning itself from a clerical movement opposed to Western culture into an armed militia with growing links to al Qaeda's West African wing.
SURGING VIOLENCE
The military operation that started in May brought an initial lull to the violence, as the Islamists fled their bases in cities, forests and mountains across the northeast.
But the lull quickly gave way to revenge. First schools were targeted, as the Islamists thought they were hiding vigilantes. Then attacks on security forces resumed.
The orgy of violence over the past few weeks - several hundred people have been killed - suggests the offensive against Boko Haram has not worked and may have made things worse.
"They have taken to guerrilla tactics in rural areas, where the population are vulnerable," said Kole Shettima, Africa director of the MacArthur Foundation, based in Nigeria.
"The military were winning some battles, but military deployments cannot win the war. Boko Haram can simply adapt," he said, adding that a broader strategy including investment in the underdeveloped north and some kind of political solution was needed.
Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is sinful" in the northern Hausa language, wants to revive the medieval Islamic kingdoms that used to rule northern Nigeria, before its amalgamation with the largely Christian south by the British colonial authorities.
They are seen as the gravest security threat to Africa's top oil producer. Although their activities are located hundreds of miles away from its southern oil fields, they have bombed the capital Abuja at least three times, including a deadly attack on the United Nations' Nigeria headquarters in 2011.
Nigeria's military said on Wednesday it had killed 150 insurgents, including a commander, in an operation against Islamist group Boko Haram in which 16 of its own forces were also killed.
The Nigerian army often says it killed large numbers of insurgents in battles in which a much smaller number of its own troops died. It is impossible to independently verify this.
Violence in the northeast is unwelcome news for Jonathan, who is suffering a split in his party over an assumed intention to run again in 2015 elections, and from an opposition coalition that seems better organized and funded than in the past.
He had been criticized for not quelling Boko Haram's insurgency, which worsened under his leadership. The state of emergency he declared in May was seen as a last ditch attempt to show he is on top of the crisis.
Sunday items - the Mall shootings....
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 09/22/2013 12:00 -0400
The Nairobi Mall Massacre Visual Timeline
UPDATE: Massive explosion reported at Kenya's Westgate Mall, far larger thabn any other explosion in last 30 hours
Police ignored me as I exposed Westgate terrorist – survivor
An image grab taken from AFP TV shows a Kenyan woman coming out of an air vent where she was hiding during the attack/AFP
The witness told how the gunman changed his clothes and mingled with other victims before he vanished in the crowd outside the mall.
“The man is of Arab origin, he changed his clothes on first floor and left with the victims as they were being rescued,” he said.
“When I saw him outside the building I told the police this is one of the gunmen but they did not heed to my plea but asked me to get out.”
The account raised fears most of the attackers may have escaped during the confusion, although some were detained or killed during the mayhem.
One of the gunmen who had earlier been detained in hospital succumbed to his bullet wounds.
Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab rebels claimed responsibility for the attack saying on Twitter it was in retaliation for Kenya’s military intervention in Somalia.
“The Mujahideen entered #Westgate Mall today at around noon and are still inside the mall, fighting the #Kenyan Kuffar (infidels) inside their own turf,” the Islamist militants tweeted.
“What Kenyans are witnessing at #Westgate is retributive justice for crimes committed by their military,” the group said.
Masked gunmen stormed the teeming upmarket mall in Nairobi on Saturday, sprayed gunfire and killing around 30 people and injuring more than 60 others before holing themselves up in the complex with hostages.
The gunmen are said to have spoken in a foreign language, possibly Arabic or Somali.
Click to view Photo gallery
Click to view Photo gallery
Kenya shopping mall siege: LIVE UPDATES
Al-Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group took dozens of people hostage after seizing the Westgate shopping mall in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Saturday, killing at least 59 people.
15:30 GMT: Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has sent a telegram of condolence to Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, saying Russia strongly condemns this act of terrorism, the Kremlin’s press-service reported.
15:14 GMT: Security forces have “a good chance” of neutralizing the attackers at the shopping mall, said Kenya's president Uhuru Kenyatta.
"The criminals are now located in one place within the building. With the professionals on site, I assure Kenyans that we have as good a chance to successfully neutralize the terrorists as we can hope for," he told reporters.
Kenyatta also said his nephew and the nephew’s fiancée were among the 59 confirmed killed.
“Soon we will severely punish the organizers," the President said. "They have to pay for their unworthy and brutal actions."
The government also received reports of both male and female attackers, consistent with accounts given by witnesses who said they saw women involved.
15:04 GMT:
At least 59 people have been killed and 200 others wounded by Al-Qaeda-linked militants in a Nairobi shopping mall, as the hostage crisis there has entered its second day. Foreigners are among the casualties.
10 to 15 gunmen are still inside the shopping mall, a Kenyan minister has reported. 30 hostages are still inside the building, according to the country’s officials and Western diplomatic sources cited by CNN.
AP journalists reported from the scene that gunfire was heard in the mall on Sunday morning. They added that following the shooting, two wounded Kenyan security forces were carried from the mall.
AP journalists reported from the scene that gunfire was heard in the mall on Sunday morning. They added that following the shooting, two wounded Kenyan security forces were carried from the mall.
Israeli advisers are reportedly helping Kenya to work out a strategy to end a siege at the mall.
"There are Israeli advisers helping with the negotiating strategy, but no Israelis involved in any imminent storming operation," an Israeli security source told Reuters.
The Kenyan president’s office announced that one of the gunmen arrested by police in the Nairobi shopping mall died from gunshot wounds. The country’s National Disaster Operation Centre stated that gunmen are still holding an uncertain number of shoppers and staff hostage inside the mall.
“Operations are continuing…We will free all those inside and stop this, of course we cannot give details of the operations except to say that everything that can be done is being done,” a security officer said, as quoted by AFP.
“Operations are continuing…We will free all those inside and stop this, of course we cannot give details of the operations except to say that everything that can be done is being done,” a security officer said, as quoted by AFP.
Masked assailants, armed with AK-47s and grenades launched their attack on the Westgate shopping mall in the Kenyan capital around noon on Saturday.
Gunmen were said to have lobbed grenades at the onset of the strike. They then proceeded to shoot indiscriminately and took several people hostage at the mall in Nairobi. Armed police arrived on the scene nearly half an hour later, as scores of shoppers were fleeing the building. Some of the wounded were wheeled out on stretchers and shopping carts.
"I personally touched the eyes of four people and they were dead. One of them was a child. Its carnage up there," said a former British soldier at the scene.
Al-Shabaab, a hardline Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamist group with a stronghold in neighboring Somalia, claimed responsibility for the Nairobi shooting. It had earlier threatened to strike the mall, as it is a popular destination for the city’s expatriate community.
Gunmen were said to have lobbed grenades at the onset of the strike. They then proceeded to shoot indiscriminately and took several people hostage at the mall in Nairobi. Armed police arrived on the scene nearly half an hour later, as scores of shoppers were fleeing the building. Some of the wounded were wheeled out on stretchers and shopping carts.
"I personally touched the eyes of four people and they were dead. One of them was a child. Its carnage up there," said a former British soldier at the scene.
Al-Shabaab, a hardline Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamist group with a stronghold in neighboring Somalia, claimed responsibility for the Nairobi shooting. It had earlier threatened to strike the mall, as it is a popular destination for the city’s expatriate community.
One victim said that he had been shot by a man who appeared to be Somali, while others noted the gunmen were speaking in a foreign language.
"A Somali guy shot at me. The guy who shot me was carrying a rifle, an AK-47," said Saptal Singh, who was in a cafe in the top floor of the mall.
Witnesses said the attackers ordered all Muslims to leave the premises, as only non-Muslims would be targeted.
Somalia’s Al-Shabaab militant group said on Saturday that it is in contact with what it called “Mujahideen” gunmen who had attacked the shopping mall. They added that they would not be negotiating with the Mujahideen in the shopping center.
"The Kenyan govt is pleading with our Mujahideen inside the mall for negotiations. There will be no negotiations whatsoever at the Westgate (the mall where the attack took place)," the Al-Shabaab militant group said on its official Twitter account.
The group had apparently been live tweeting the attack on the mall under the username @HSM_Press, until the account was suspended by the social network following multiple reports from other Twitter users.
"A Somali guy shot at me. The guy who shot me was carrying a rifle, an AK-47," said Saptal Singh, who was in a cafe in the top floor of the mall.
Witnesses said the attackers ordered all Muslims to leave the premises, as only non-Muslims would be targeted.
Somalia’s Al-Shabaab militant group said on Saturday that it is in contact with what it called “Mujahideen” gunmen who had attacked the shopping mall. They added that they would not be negotiating with the Mujahideen in the shopping center.
"The Kenyan govt is pleading with our Mujahideen inside the mall for negotiations. There will be no negotiations whatsoever at the Westgate (the mall where the attack took place)," the Al-Shabaab militant group said on its official Twitter account.
The group had apparently been live tweeting the attack on the mall under the username @HSM_Press, until the account was suspended by the social network following multiple reports from other Twitter users.
The Al-Qaeda linked militant group said that the attack was in revenge for crimes allegedly committed by Kenyan soldiers in Somalia. Troops from Kenya and other African nations are serving as peacekeepers in war torn Somalia to the north.
President Uhuru Kenyatta said the attack sought to intimidate and divide the nation, but stated that the "terrorists" will be defeated. The president added that he lost "very close family members" in the mall shooting.
"The despicable perpetrators of this cowardly act hoped to intimidate, divide and cause despondency amongst Kenyans," Kenyatta said in a televised address to the nation. "We have overcome terrorist attacks before. We will defeat them again."
President Uhuru Kenyatta said the attack sought to intimidate and divide the nation, but stated that the "terrorists" will be defeated. The president added that he lost "very close family members" in the mall shooting.
"The despicable perpetrators of this cowardly act hoped to intimidate, divide and cause despondency amongst Kenyans," Kenyatta said in a televised address to the nation. "We have overcome terrorist attacks before. We will defeat them again."
Kenyatta said Saturday that his nephew and his fiancé died in the mall attack.
The mall is popular with expatriates in Nairobi and while most of the killed and injured are Kenyans, there are also foreign nationals among the casualties.
Two French citizens were confirmed dead in the attack, France's presidential office stated. Also, two Canadians have been killed, including one diplomat, according to Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper.
"We have reports of American citizens injured in the attack, and the US Embassy is actively reaching out to provide assistance," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement.
Two French citizens were confirmed dead in the attack, France's presidential office stated. Also, two Canadians have been killed, including one diplomat, according to Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper.
"We have reports of American citizens injured in the attack, and the US Embassy is actively reaching out to provide assistance," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary, William Hague, confirmed Sunday that three Britons were also among the dead.
One of the British witnesses of the attack said that she and 60 others barricaded themselves in a large storeroom.
"We kept running to different places but the shots were getting louder so we barricaded ourselves along with about 60 others in a large storeroom. There were children hiding with us as well as someone who had been shot," Hannah Chisholm told BBC. "The gunfire was loud and we were scared but at that point we thought the gunmen were thieves so we assumed they wouldn't try to reach the storeroom."
This is the biggest terrorist attack in Nairobi since 1998, when bombing at the U.S. Embassy left 213 dead. At that time Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attacks.
and...
|
| English.news.cn 2013-09-22 18:41:42 | |
David Musyoka and Ben Ochieng
NAIROBI, Sept, 22 (Xinhua) -- At least 59 people have been killed and 175 others wounded after terrorists stormed an upscale shopping mall in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, a senior government official said on Sunday.
Cabinet Secretary in charge of Internal Security Joseph Ole Lenku told journalists in Nairobi that the security operation to free hostages who are still trapped inside the Westgate mall will continue.
"Regrettably, the human loss in the attack also went up overnight. The number of our dead has risen to 59. The number of injured has also risen to 175. Many of the injured were taken to local hospitals, treated and discharged," he told journalists.
"We have established the location of the criminals. It's a delicate balance and we want to evacuate the hostages safely. We believe there are some people in the building that is why I said the operation is still delicate."
He said the police managed to evacuate more than 1,000 people from the mall overnight, but a number of others still remain. "The operation is in a very delicate stage. Our paramount responsibility is to ensure that our people still held in the Mall come out alive. Our commitment is to save lives," he said.
The development comes as fierce gunfire was heard from the mall on Sunday as the hostage standoff in Nairobi entered its second day amid heavy security around the building.
The militants from Somalia have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it is retaliation for Kenya's military intervention in Somalia. An Al-Shabaab spokesman said in an audio message, "Either leave our country or live with constant attacks."
Al-Shabaab in Twitter account said it had warned there would be consequences when Kenyan soldiers entered southern Somalia to fight the militants. The group used the hashtag #Westgate, saying it was a revenge attack.
"By land, air and sea, Kenyan forces invaded our Muslim country, killing hundreds of Muslims in the process and displacing thousands more," the insurgents tweeted late on Saturday.
Al-Shabaab which has staged numerous bomb and grenade attacks in Kenya said it had told the Kenyan government on numerous occasions to withdraw its forces.
"The Kenyan government, however, turned a deaf ear to our repeated warnings and continued to massacre innocent Muslims in Somalia. For long we have waged war against the Kenyans in our land, now it's time to shift the battleground and take the war to their land."
According to the latest reports, the slain foreign victims include Canadians, French nationals, Chinese and Ghanaian.
"The Chinese side is shocked by and strongly condemns the terrorist attack at Westgate Shopping Mall today, and wishes to express deep condolences to the victims and profound sympathy to the wounded and the deceased family," Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Guangyuan said.
Liu, who was speaking on Saturday evening during the opening ceremony of a China-Kenya cultural event in Nairobi, said Beijing stands firmly with the Kenyan government and people at this difficult time.
"We believe that the Kenyan government and people will tackle the crisis appropriately and get through the difficulty."
The Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) entered Somalia two years ago to pursue the militants who had often crossed the border to stage attacks.
Speaking to journalists, Lenku said the authorities believe there are 10 to 15 attackers still in the building.
"We are grateful for all offers of support from individuals and friendly countries we have received. But by and large, this remains a national security operation," Lenku said.
The government official said he could not disclose who the attackers are at this juncture, terming the security which has been going on for the past 20 hours as very fragile.
"Our priority is to save as many lives as possible. We have established the location of the criminals. This has been a delicate operation because we want to ensure that those still trapped in the mall are safe," he added.
Former prime minister Raila Odinga condemned the terrorist attack as an act of cowardice and assured the country that security forces are up to task.
"We will not be intimidated. The act was intended to cow the people of Kenyans but the Kenyan spirit is strong. Kenyans should remain as we want to approach this matter in a bi-partisan way," Odinga told journalists in Nairobi.
He appealed to the international community not to issue travel advisories against Kenya, but work with the government to ensure return to normalcy.
"This is not the time for grandstanding. This is not the time for partisan politics. It is a time to unite the country. This is a tragic moment in Kenya. It has been 15 years since the last terrorist attack that claimed 250 lives," Odinga said.
Odinga said Saturday's terrorism attack has evoked the Kenyan spirit and thanked those who have come out to assist in the operation.
"We are united in condemning this cowardly act of terrorism and pledge to work with President and government. I have had a telephone conversation with President and we have agreed we will meet often to work out way forward," Odinga said.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/10-dead-gunmen-open-fire-kenyan-shopping-mall-article-1.1463237
At least 39 people dead after gunmen open fire, throw grenades inside Kenyan shopping mall
Somalia's militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility: 'The attack at #WestgateMall is just a very tiny fraction of what Muslims in Somalia experience at the hands of Kenyan invaders.'
Comments (199)BY LARRY MCSHANE / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
PUBLISHED: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2013, 8:32 AM
UPDATED: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2013, 6:36 PM
STRINGER/REUTERS
A police officer tries to secure an area inside the Westgate Shopping Centre.
Al Qaeda-linked terrorists brought jihad to the mall Saturday, massacring 39 people during a Saturday stampede of a lavish Kenyan shopping center hosting a kids’ event.
The grenade-tossing, gun-toting militants wounded 150 others in the vicious assault — but made a point of allowing Muslims to escape the high-end mall before the carnage continued.
GORAN TOMASEVIC/REUTERS
Armed police search through Westgate shopping mall for gunmen in Nairobi on Saturday.
“The gunmen told the Muslims to stand up and leave,” said survivor Elijah Kamau. “They were safe, and non-Muslims would be targeted.”
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said members of his family were among the victims.
REUTERS/NOOR KHAMIS
An injured woman cries for help after gunmen stormed the Westgate shopping mall.
Wounded children were ferried to safety in shopping carts, while blood-spattered and weeping survivors ran desperately from the shiny Westgate Mall — an Israeli-owned complex often mentioned as a possible terrorist target.
“Get out! Get out!” screamed armed police as helicopters circled above.
SAYYID AZIM/AP
A wounded man is escorted outside after gunmen opened fire in an upscale shopping mall in Nairobi.
The State Department, in a terse statement, confirmed that American citizens were among the victims.
“We have reports of American citizens injured in the attack, and the U.S. Embassy is actively reaching out to provide assistance,” said State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf.
THOMAS MUKOYA/REUTERS
A customer cries as she is evacuated following a shootout between unidentified armed men and the police at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi on Saturday.
The spokeswoman declined to give any details about the Americans or the extent of their injuries. Local officials feared the death toll was likely to climb.
JASON STRAZIUSO/AP
A soldier moves to take up a position outside an upscale shopping mall in Nairobi, where shooting erupted Saturday.
“The casualties are many, and that’s only what we have on the outside,” said Kenya Red Cross Society Secretary General Abbas Guled.
The militant group al-Shabab announced that it was behind the terrorist attack, saying the killings were payback for the 2011 push by Kenyan forces into their homeland of Somalia.
JASON STRAZIUSO/AP
Medics treat an injured man outside an upscale shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday.
In a Twitter post, the terrorists described the bloody attack as “the Westgate spectacle.” Hours later, an unknown number of hostages remained inside the four-story mall with their attackers.
The imprisoned shoppers were gathered inside a supermarket, officials said. Two groups of Kenyan special forces fighters were also inside the mall as the stalemate stretched for hours.
NOOR KHAMIS/REUTERS
Construction workers run following a shootout between unidentified armed men and the police at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi.
Officials said anywhere between five and 10 attackers were involved in the bloodletting. They wore vests with hand grenades attached, and carried AK-47s as they ran amok.
“For long, we have waged war against the Kenyans in our land,” read another tweet. “Now it’s time to shift the battleground and take the war to their land #Westgate.”
JASON STRAZIUSO/AP
Two women hug outside the mall. Witnesses say gunmen also threw a half dozen grenades during the midday attack.
The midafternoon nightmare began with grenade explosions and the pop-pop-pop of automatic weapons as a terror squad of at least five stormed the upscale mall.
GORAN TOMASEVIC/REUTERS
An injured policeman holds on to his wound as his colleague searches the mall.
Shoppers began running for their lives, eventually finding refuge in hallways or stairways. One terrified group was found hidden inside a bathroom.
Other shoppers jumped to safety from the mall roof to an adjoining building. The shopping center sits less than two miles from the center of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
STRINGER/REUTERS
A police officer tries to secure an area inside the Westgate Shopping Centre.
The number of victims multiplied so quickly that a local hospital was soon overwhelmed, forcing rescuers to bring the wounded to a second medical center.
“We started by hearing gunshots downstairs and outside,” said Patrick Kuria, a worker at the mall restaurant Artcaffe. “Later, we heard them come inside. Then we saw two gunmen wearing black turbans. I saw them shoot.”
STRINGER/REUTERS
Civilians escape an area at the Westgate Shopping Centre in Nairobi.
Witness Jay Patel, while cowering on an upper floor at the mall, saw the gunmen take several hostages to a parking garage where some were set free — and others were killed in cold blood.
Marco Lui, a Bloomberg News correspondent, was on the mall’s second floor when the terrorists burst inside through the main entrance.
STRINGER/REUTERS
Civilians escape an area at the mall, where terrorists were targeting non-Muslims.
A pair of explosions were followed by blasts of automatic weapon fire and instant horror. They worked their way from the ground floor to the upper levels of the mall.
“We heard a noise from the ground floor and people started running to the parking area on the rooftop,” Lui said. “They were panicking and then the second blast went off, and people were even more panicked.”
NICHOLE SOBECKI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
An image grab taken from AFP TV shows a Kenyan woman coming out of an air vent.
Lui and others jumped over a fence on the mall’s roof and landed on a neighboring building. He and a friend were unharmed.
The mall is home to more than 80 stores, including outlets for Nike, Adidas and Bose. A movie theater, children’s play area and several restaurants are also part of the facility.
DAI KUROKAWA/EPA
Kenyan soldier takes position outside the Westgate shopping mall.
JONATHAN KALAN/AP
Armed police take cover behind escalators as smoke fills the air.
JONATHAN KALAN/AP
Armed police crouch down and take position during a gun battle.
JASON STRAZIUSO/AP
People run from the upscale Westgate Mall.
SIMON MAINA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
A wounded woman is helped to safety after masked gunmen stormed the mall.
SIMON MAINA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
A policeman carries a baby to safety.
GORAN TOMASEVIC/REUTERS
Women carrying children run for safety as armed police hunt the gunmen.
GORAN TOMASEVIC/REUTERS
Young survivors of the terrorist attack stand next to a body.
GORAN TOMASEVIC/REUTERS
People scramble for safety in the mall.
GORAN TOMASEVIC/REUTERS
People with children run for safety as armed police hunt the gunmen.
TONY KARUMBA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
A military helicopter overflies a shopping mall on September 21, 2013, during the attack.
SIMON MAINA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Soldiers from a special unit arrive outside the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, on September 21, 2013.
GORAN TOMASEVIC/REUTERS
Injured people cry for help after gunmen went on a shooting spree in Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi, September 21, 2013.
GORAN TOMASEVIC/REUTERS
A child runs to safety as armed police hunt gunmen who went on a shooting spree at Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi.
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