(Repeats to add slugline with no changes to text)
* Al Qaeda-linked Somali Islamists claim attack
* Al Shabaab demanding withdrawal of Kenyan troops from
Somalia
* Stand-off in supermarket after mass shooting
* President loses relatives in raid, vows to punish
attackers
By Duncan Miriri and James Macharia
NAIROBI, Sept 22 (Reuters) – Kenyan security forces were
locked in a stand-off on Sunday with gunmen who killed at least
39 people at an upmarket shopping mall in the Kenyan capital,
and it was still unclear how many hostages the al Qaeda-linked
militants were holding.
The Somali Islamist group al Shabaab claimed responsibility
for Saturday’s assault on Nairobi’s Westgate mall, which is
frequented by Westerners as well as Kenyans.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said more than 39 people had
been killed, among them close members of his own family. A
senior government official said on his Twitter feed that more
than 300 people had been wounded. The dead included children and
the wounded ranged in age from two to 78.
France said two of its citizens were dead and Canada said
two Canadians had died, including a diplomat. The U.S. State
Department said it had reports that American citizens had been
hurt, and Britain said its nationals had undoubtedly been
affected.
Police said the stand-off was focused around the Nakumatt
supermarket, one of Kenya’s biggest chains, where the attackers
were said to be holding hostages.
Kenyatta said the security forces were engaged in a
“delicate operation” with the top priority being to safeguard
the lives of people caught up in the incident, but it was
unclear how many were still trapped inside the building.
Al Shabaab, which has links to al Qaeda and is battling
Kenyan and other African peacekeepers in Somalia, had repeatedly
threatened attacks on Kenyan soil if Nairobi did not pull its
troops out of the Horn of Africa country.
The raid presents Kenyatta with his first major security
challenge since a March election victory. Kenyatta has vowed to
defeat the militants who have said it is time to shift the war
to Kenyan soil.
“We have overcome terrorist attacks before,” he said.
The mall assault has been the biggest single attack in Kenya
since al Qaeda’s east Africa cell bombed the U.S. embassy in
Nairobi in 1998, killing more than 200 people. In 2002, the same
militant cell attacked an Israeli-owned hotel at the coast and
tried to shoot down an Israeli jet in a coordinated attack.
The major attack on an iconic mall that draws tourists,
expatriates and Kenya’s wealthy elite like a magnet risks
hammering an already struggling tourism sector and could
puncture Kenyatta’s plans to boost east Africa’s biggest
economy’s reputation as a sound investment destination.
Al Shabaab’s last big attack outside Somalia was a twin
attack in neighbouring Uganda, targeting people watching the
World Cup final on television in Kampala in June 2010.
Kenya sent its troops into Somalia in October 2011 to pursue
the militants it blamed for kidnapping tourists and attacking
its security forces.
HOSTAGES
Relatives of hostages thought still to be trapped inside the
Westgate mall were keeping vigil in a nearby Hindu centre,
waiting for the next move by the security forces.
Kevin Jamal said his sister was taken hostage while shopping
at the mall, and he had been waiting for more than six hours.
“I want her to come out alive,” Jamal told Reuters as he
joined Kenya Red Cross Society volunteers for a meal of hot
curry and chips served by the centre.
He said the Kenyan security agencies could have done better,
saying “they should not allow themselves to be outmanoeuvred by
less than 20 people.”
Police say it is not clear how many attackers they are
dealing with, and those rescued said at least one of the
attackers was a woman. One of the attackers had been shot and
arrested, but died shortly afterwards at a hospital.
A fierce gun battle erupted between the police and the
militants after Saturday’s initial assault. The shooting
continued hours after the first attack and soldiers then managed
to enter the building, hunting for the attackers shop by shop.
Witnesses said the attackers were armed with AK-47 rifles
and wore ammunition belts.
There was a lull in activity in the hours after midnight.
Troops were milling around at the mall, near two armoured
personnel carriers and two big fire trucks, one with a long,
extendable ladder.
Music was still playing and a video screen was on at a
gourmet burger shop. Journalists and curious bystanders were
moved out of the mall onto a side road.
Al Shabaab appeared to taunt the security forces, saying on
its official Twitter handle @HSM_Press that there would be no
negotiations whatsoever with Kenyan officials over the standoff.
“10 hours have passed and the Mujahideen are still strong
inside #Westgate Mall and still holding their ground. All praise
is due to Allah!”, the group said.
(Additional reporting by Edmund Blair; Writing by James
Macharia; Editing by David Brunnstrom)
