Fire and smoke on third day of Westgate siege

Smoke rises from the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi where terrorists were still holding hostages on Monday. Photo/William Oeri 

By Simon Ciuri and Evelyne Situma

In Summary

• Interior secretary Joseph ole Lenku said the attackers burnt mattresses to subvert onslaught by security forces.
• He said the security forces had taken control of all the four floors of the shopping complex but had not cleared it of the terrorists.

Loud explosions sent thick smoke billowing from Westgate mall where Somali militants Al-Shabaab continued to hold tens of hostages for the third day in a row threatening to kill them if security forces attempted a forceful end to the crisis.

The one o’clock blasts were immediately followed by loud sirens and intensified movement of military personnel towards the area of operation but there was no news of what had happened.

Interior secretary Joseph ole Lenku immediately addressed a Press conference flanked by Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces Julius Karangi and Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo.

Mr Lenku said the terrorists had caused the afternoon explosions and set mattresses alight in a supermarket as a decoy to disrupt the security operations. Two of the “terrorists” had been killed on Monday, the minister said at a press briefing.

The minister said the security forces had taken control of all the four floors of the shopping complex but had not cleared it of the terrorists.

International news agencies, quoting anonymous sources, said the attackers intended to blow themselves up immediately security forces took control of the facility.

“Israelis and Kenyan forces have tried to enter Westgate by force but they could not. The mujahideen will kill the hostages if the enemies use force,” Reuters quoted Al-Shabab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage saying in an online audio posting.

The reports said the security team opted to blow up the roof using detonators after the abductors who were hiding at one corner of the building ruled out a surrender.

Two police helicopters patrolled the Westgate mall as General Karangi confirmed that 10 soldiers were injured in confrontations with the militants.

At the nearby Sarit Centre shopping complex, which remained open for the better part of the day, some outlets stayed shut as proprietors' feared looting, forcing police officers to disperse crowds using teargas canisters.

The death toll was put at 62 officially but Kenya Red Cross said 69 had died. Mr ole Lenku said the discrepancy could be attributed to double counting.

About 175 people were injured in the hold up with the BBC quoting a security official saying there would be more casualties as the multi-agency team stormed the building.

There were reinforcements later in the afternoon as the troops advanced closer to the building.

The gunmen believed to be between 10 and 15 entered the building by force on Saturday, saying they were retaliating against Kenya’s continued involvement in restoring peace in Somalia under an African Union effort supported by the UN.

President Kenyatta responded saying Kenya would not pull out of Somalia, where it entered two years after the Al-Qaeda-led group staged a series of abductions of tourists on the Kenyan side.