Kenya
began three days of national mourning Today for the victims of
the Westgate mall.
Kenya’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta, declaring the crisis over yesterday night said that the death toll from the
four-day siege at the upmarket shopping centre was 61 civilians and six
members of the security forces. But the police said they had yet to
count all the victims and militants trapped inside the wreckage of the
building, three floors of which reportedly collapsed after a fire
Observers expect the death toll to rise substantially.
The Islamist group, that has claimed responsibility for the attack,
on Tuesday said the militants held 137 hostages, and suggested all died
in the rescue operation. The claim could not be verified at the moment.
Mr Kenyatta, who said in an address to the nation on yesterday night
that the security forces had killed five terrorists and arrested 11
suspects, is to convene the national security council on Wednesday to
begin to overhaul the government’s counter-terrorism strategy and
investigate how the attack was able to take place.
Kenyan authorities are bracing themselves for criticism of the
operation and have been at pains to assert their own leading role, with
some even suggesting foreign assistance has been “allowed” rather than
“requested”.
May the souls of the departed rest in peace....
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