Four thunderous explosions rattled an upscale mall in Nairobi yesterday, part of a battle between Kenyan troops and Islamist militants.
Top Kenyan officials said two hostage-takers, part of “a multinational collection from all over the world,” had been killed.
Kenya Minister of the Interior Joseph Ole Lenku said the evacuation of hostages “has gone very, very well” and that Kenyan officials are “very certain” that there are few if any hostages left in the building.
Photo: Reuters
Lenku also revised the death toll to 62.
Kenyan officials earlier said 59 people had died since the siege on Westgate Mall began on Saturday, while the Red Cross had put the toll at 68, then lowered it to 62, saying some bodies had been counted twice.
Kenyan Chief of Defense Forces General Julius Karangi said fighters from an array of nations participated in the attack claimed by al-Shabaab, a Somalian group allied with al-Qaeda.
Karangi said Kenyan forces were in charge of all floors inside the mall, although militants could still be hiding inside.
The four explosions were followed by volleys of gunfire, then a thick, dark column of smoke that burned for roughly 90 minutes.
On Sunday, Kenyan officials announced that “most” hostages had been rescued.
Kenyans and foreigners were among those confirmed dead, including British and French nationals, Canadians, Indians, a Ghanaian, a South African and a Chinese woman. The UK Foreign Office said yesterday it has confirmed the deaths of four British nationals.
At the Oshwal Center next to the mall, the Red Cross was using a squat concrete structure that houses a Hindu temple as a triage center.
Medical workers yesterday attended to at least two wounded Kenyan soldiers there.
Al-Shabaab said the attack, targeting non-Muslims, was in retribution for Kenyan forces’ 2011 push into Somalia.
The Taiwanese passport ranked 33rd in a global listing of passports by convenience this month, rising three places from last month’s ranking, but matching its position in January last year. The Henley Passport Index, an international ranking of passports by the number of designations its holder can travel to without a visa, showed that the Taiwan passport enables holders to travel to 139 countries and territories without a visa. Singapore’s passport was ranked the most powerful with visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227, according to the index published on Tuesday by UK-based migration investment consultancy firm Henley and Partners. Japan’s and
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Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
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