Kenya pres. vows to end hostage drama
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta says his country™s priority is to free the hostages held by gunmen inside a Nairobi shopping mall for the second day.
Kenyatta called Saturday™s attack a cowardly terrorist act carried out by a criminal bunch of cowards.
“No one should lose their lives so needlessly and so senselessly and no family should have to receive news that their loved one has been killed by a criminal bunch of cowards,” Kenyatta told a group of journalists at a news conference in the capital city of Nairobi.
He confirmed that the attack has claimed 59 lives and injured more than 175 people. Uhuru offered condolences to the victims™ families, saying his nephew and his fiancé were also among them.
“These were young, lovely people who I personally knew and loved,” he added.
The Kenyan president also called for more unity on the part of the international community to defeat the terrorists.
“For the time being, this remains an operation of the Kenyan security agencies. I thank all our international friends who have reached out to us and stood with us,” Kenyatta noted.
Kenyan forces continue battling the gunmen inside the Westgate Mall. Some reports say Israeli forces have joined the Kenyans to end the deadly siege.
The Saturday carnage started when gunmen stormed the Westgate Mall, in an upscale neighborhood, throwing hand grenades and indiscriminately firing at people.
Somalia™s al-Shabab fighters have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in retaliation for Kenya™s military intervention in Somalia.
The Kenyan president has vowed to bring the masterminds and perpetrators of the attack to justice.
“We shall punish the masterminds swiftly and very painfully,” he concluded.
JR/PR/SS
Copyright: Press TV
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