Kenyan troops are carrying out a major assault against
al Shabaab gunmen in Kenya in a bid to end the stand-off inside a
Nairobi shopping centre.
Heavy and sustained gunfire has been heard coming from the Westgate
shopping complex where 68 people, including three Britons, have died
since the siege started on Saturday.The Kenyan Defence Force said on its Twitter feed this morning that it was making every effort to bring the siege "to a speedy conclusion".
It said it has secured most of the Westgate shopping complex, and most of the hostages have been rescued.
Officials say up to 15 al Shabaab militants may still be inside the centre.
Kenyan military spokesman Colonel Cyrus Oguna told Sky News: "We cannot reveal the numbers of gunmen we suspect are there, but we estimate the operation will end very soon.
"We do not negotiate with terrorists and that position has not changed. Everyone who has been rescued is being checked to make sure none of the terrorists escaped during the dragnet."
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta says there have been "numerous offers of assistance from friendly countries" to help end the stand-off, but that for now it remains a Kenyan operation.
However, a Kenyan security source has confirmed that Israeli agents "are rescuing the hostages and the injured". The Westgate shopping complex is part Israeli-owned.
The Kenyan Red Cross confirmed 68 people have been killed, at least 49 remain missing and around 200 have been injured.
Police have conceded that the death toll could be "much, much higher", after reports emerged that there are multiple fatalities still inside the shopping centre.
The Foreign Office confirmed three Britons were among those killed and warned that number is likely to rise.
It also said it was "looking into" unsubstantiated claims that a list of names of those purported to be linked to the attack had been published on Twitter.
Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the "despicable attack", saying it was an act of "appalling brutality".
"Because the situation is ongoing, we should prepare ourselves for further bad news," he added.
Also killed in the attack were two Canadians, two French citizens, two Indian citizens, a South Korean, a South African, a Dutch woman and the former UN envoy Kofi Awoonor.
The Kenyan Red Cross has set up a webpage for anyone worried about friends or relatives who might be caught up in the incident.
Security forces have taken control of the upper and lower levels of the shopping complex, and an army spokesman told Sky News they were trying to secure the second floor where the terrorists may be hiding.
Other reports suggested the attackers are holed up in a toilet block next to a supermarket on the ground floor of the complex.
The Somalia-based al Shabaab militant group has claimed responsibility and warned of further attacks.
Mr Kenyatta said one of his nephews and his nephew's fiancee were among the people confirmed killed.
"They shall not get away with their despicable and beastly acts," the President said in an emotional speech to the nation. "We will punish the masterminds swiftly and indeed very painfully."
The attack is the worst in Nairobi since an al Qaeda bombing at the US embassy killed more than 200 people in 1998.
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