NAIROBI — The siege of the Westgate Mall ended Tuesday night, with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta declaring an end to the attack and revealing that five terrorists were killed and 11 apprehended and now in police custody.
“We have shamed and defeated our attackers. That part of our task was completed,” declared President Kenyatta.
Among the attackers were, according to sources, both British and U.S. citizens.
At the same time Kenyatta declared an end to the crisis, all access roads to the Westgate Mall remained blocked by soldiers and police officers, new enforcements were being driven in, and dozens of journalists,foreign and local, were pointing their cameras towards the building, which still contained dozens of bodies.
From outside, the mall looked almost intact, but several police officers and soldiers told WWD there had been significant structuraldamage to the interior, including one collapsed floor.
At the last official count, the siege that began on Saturday resulted in the deaths of 72 people, including terrorists and six security officers. Around 200 people were injured.