The lives of an uncertain number of hostages, being held by the Al-shabaab terrorists remain a major concern.
Kenyan forces appeared to have stormed the shopping mall Monday morning in an attempt to bring an end to the three-day siege.
After claiming responsibility for the continued bloody attacks on Nairobi’s Westgate Mall since Saturday, Al-shabaab has now threatened to kill all its hostages.
“The mujahideen will kill the hostages if the enemies use force,” spokesman for the terrorists, Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage said in a statement posted on an Islamist website.
“We are telling Christians advancing onto the mujahedeen to have mercy for their prisoners, who will bear the brunt of any force directed against the mujahedeen,” Rage added.
According to the group’s twitter account, which has since been suspended, “Only infidels were singled out for this attack. All Muslims inside Westgate were escorted out by the Mujahideen before beginning the attack”.
One of the survivors of the attack, Edwing Omoding, told reporters that he saw the islamists rounding up people for questioning. Some were executed.
“They were questioning people, and they said, ‘If you are Muslim you are on the safer side, but if you are Hindu or Christian you will be killed,” Omoding is reported as saying.
Several children are believed to have lost their lives in the attacks.
A new rescue operation was launched by Kenyan security forces early Monday morning, and intense gunfire and loud explosions were heard in the mall.
Moments after the closure of its official twitter account, Al Shabab opened a new one, where it warned that the storming of Nairobi’s Westgate mall was only a trial run and more such attacks were in the offing.
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