Nairobi shopping mall attack

Update: At least 68 people have been killed and more than 200 wounded by Al-Qaeda-linked militants in Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi. Kenyan troops have launched an assault on cornered Somali terrorists as 30 hostages are still inside the building.

Source: http://rt.com/news/kenya-mall-attack-nairobi-204/


The death toll from the attack by suspected Islamist militants on a shopping centre in Nairobi has touched Kenyan society to the very top, with the nephew of the country's president among at least 59 people to have died.

Uhuru Kenyatta, who was elected in March, told reporters at a news conference that his nephew and the nephew's fiancée had been confirmed among the dead. "These are young lovely people I personally...

knew and loved," he said, promising retribution against the "cowardly" attackers.

Kenyatta did not identify his nephew further, but local reports gave his nameas Mbugua and that of his fiancée as Wahito. There were also reports that the president's older sister was at the Westgate mall at the time but escaped.

Also killed was the celebrated Ghanaian writer Kofi Awoonor, who was in theKenya capital for the Storymoja Hay literary festival. Awoonor was not due to speak at the festival that day so went shopping with his son, who was reportedly shot and injured.

The previous evening Awoonor, who was also an academic and formerly Ghana's ambassador to Brazil, Cuba and the United Nations, had dinner with one of Kenya's leading conservationists, Paula Kahumbu. The pair discussed Kenya and its problems, she said: "He was disappointed that Kenyans did not feel that Kenyans were in control of our fate."

Three British nationals were also among the confirmed dead, with the Foreign Office warning that this figure was likely to increase. Officials did not name them, but said next of kin had been told. David Cameron called the assault, claimed by the Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab, "an absolutely sickening and despicable attack of appalling brutality". He added: "Because the situation is ongoing we should prepare ourselves for further bad news. Our thoughts also should be with the Kenyan government and the Kenyan people at this time."

Nationals from seven other countries were confirmed as dead, among them Annemarie Desloges, who served in Canada's high commission to Kenya. Another Canadian died. The one American confirmed as dead was the wife of a man working for the US Agency for International Development, US officials said.

India's foreign ministry said two of its nationals died, while two French women were killed, according to President François Holland. The Dutch foreign minister, Frans Timmermans, a 33-year-old Dutch woman died.

Also killed were a 38-year-old Chinese woman and one South African.

Source:http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/22/nairobi-attack-kenya-president-nephew