Kenyan authorities reportedly raided the upscale Nairobi mall where up to 15 gunmen are holding an unknown number of hostages, two days since the terrorist attack killed more than 60 people and injured at least 170. In a statement aired on Kenya’s KTN TV, Cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku confirmed that two attackers were killed when security forces stormed the Westgate Mall on Monday.
The Associated Press reported four large blasts followed by ongoing volleys of gunfire, with military helicopters and a plane circling overhead.
A security officer said some hostages have been rescued, according to the BBC.
The inspector general of Kenyan police David Kimaiyo tweeted earlier Monday:
[tweet https://twitter.com/IGkimaiyo/status/382097493330509825%5D
The Shabab Islamist militant group from Somalia claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in retaliation for Kenyan military operations in Somalia.
Nairobi Shopping Mall Shootout Leaves At Least 68 Dead
(MORE: Terror in Nairobi: Behind al-Shabab’s War With Kenya)
[BBC]