Kenyan interior minister: 59 dead in islamic terrorists al-Shabaab mall attack.

Kenyan interior minister: 59 dead in islamic terrorists al-Shabaab mall attack.(AA).

Kenya's interior Cabinet secretary said on Sunday that at least 59 people were killed and 175 wounded in the attack by al-Qaeda-linked militants at an upscale mall in Nairobi.

"We still have hostages in the mall, and this makes the operation delicate. We have 59 people who have been killed so far," Joseph Ole Lenku said.
Lenku said Sunday that about 1,000 people have been rescued so far from the Westgate mall.

The gunmen remain inside with hostages nearly 24 hours after the attack was launched with grenades and assault rifles.

Lenku said that there are 10 to 15 attackers involved. He said that Kenyan forces have control of the security cameras inside the mall. Combined military and police forces have surrounded the building.
Somali al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group al-Shabaab said on Twitter that the attack was in retaliation for Kenya’s military intervention in Somalia.
“The Mujahideen entered #Westgate Mall today at around noon and are still inside the mall, fighting the #Kenyan Kuffar (infidels) inside their own turf,” al-Shabaab said on Twitter, according to AFP.
“What Kenyans are witnessing at #Westgate is retributive justice for crimes committed by their military,” the group said.

The militants claim that its gunmen shot 100 people in the mall attack.
Twelve hours after masked gunmen stormed the shopping center, security forces were still attempting to secure the mall and neutralize the gunmen, according to the president.