Kenya mall attack: Day 4, gunfire continues, third Indian killed, toll 62

Nairobi: Sporadic gunfire could be heard from the Westgate mall in Nairobi on Tuesday morning as government forces pressed on to try to end a four day standoff with militants that killed 62 people.Kenyan special forces are still battling "one or two" al-Shabab fighters holed up inside Nairobi's Westgate shopping mall, security sources involved in the operation said on Tuesday.An overnight eerie silence outside the mall was broken at daybreak, following a loud burst of sporadic gunfire, suggesting that the complex had not yet been secured. The sources said the fighters were located and isolated on one of the upper floors of the complex.Among those killed is a third Indian, Sudershan B. Nagaraj from Bangalore, the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson tweeted from New Delhi.The al-Qaida-linked rebel group al-Shabab posted a message on Twitter saying that it is still holding hostages alive inside and that its fighters are "still holding their ground."Flames and dark plumes of smoke rose Monday above the Westgate shopping complex for more than an hour after four large explosions rocked the surrounding neighbourhood.Kenyan security forces battled al-Qaida-linked militants in Nairobi's Westgate shopping mall for a fourth day on Tuesday, in what they said was a final push to rescue the last few hostages in a siege that has left at least 62 people dead.Despite Kenyan government assurances on Twitter of success, another explosion and more gunfire could be heard coming from the mall at around 6:30 am local time on Tuesday, Associated Press reporters at the scene said.Nyambega Gisesa, a journalist with 'The Standard' newspaper in Kenya, said that at about a quarter to six, Kenyan security forces began their final assault on the mall."We have had a couple of shots fired from what looks like powerful weapons, and then what I have been informed just now is that the forces have taken over the first floor, the second floor and the third floor, and they are now heading to the fourth floor," he told AP.While the government announced on Sunday that "most" hostages had been released, a security expert with contacts inside the mall said at least 10 were still being held by a band of attackers described as "a multinational collection from all over the world"."Despite botched attempts by the Jews and Christians to recapture the mall today, the mujahideen are still in control of the Westgate," al-Shabab spokesman Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage said in the message. "The upper hand still remains theirs," he said.Kenyan Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed said "two or three Americans" and "one Brit" were among those who attacked the mall.She said in an interview with the PBS "NewsHour" program that the Americans were 18 to 19 years old, of Somali or Arab origin and lived "in Minnesota and one other place" in the U.S. The attacker from Britain was a woman who has "done this many times before," Mohamed said.U.S. officials said they were looking into whether any Americans were involved. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday that the department had "no definitive evidence of the nationalities or the identities" of the attackers.The security expert said many hostages had been freed or escaped in the previous 24-36 hours, including some who were in hiding.However, there were at least 30 hostages when the assault by al-Shabab militants began Saturday, he said, and "it's clear" that Kenyan security officials "haven't cleared the building fully."Flames and dark plumes of smoke rose Monday above the Westgate shopping complex for more than an hour after four large explosions rocked the surrounding neighborhood. The smoke was pouring through a large skylight inside the mall's main department and grocery store, where mattresses and other flammable goods appeared to have been set on fire, a rescuer told AP.The explosions were followed by volleys of gunfire as police helicopters and a military jet circled overhead, giving the neighborhood the feel of a war zone. An armored personnel carrier sat in front of the building.By Monday evening, Kenyan security officials claimed the upper hand."Taken control of all the floors. We're not here to feed the attackers with pastries but to finish and punish them," Police Inspector General David Kimaiyo said on Twitter.Kenya's Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said the evacuation of hostages had gone "very, very well" and that Kenyan officials were "very certain" that few if any hostages were left in the building.But with the mall cordoned off and under heavy security it was not possible to independently verify the assertions. Westgate mall, a vast complex with multiple banks that have secure vaults and bulletproof glass partitions, as well as a casino, is difficult to take, the official said. "They are not made for storming," he said of the labyrinth of shops, restaurants and offices. "They're made to be unstormable."At least 62 people were killed in the assault Saturday by some 12 to 15 al-Shabab militants wielding grenades and firing on civilians inside the mall, which includes shops for such retail giants as Nike, Adidas and Bose and is popular with foreigners and wealthy Kenyans.The militants specifically targeted non-Muslims, and at least 18 foreigners were among the dead, including six Britons, as well as citizens from France, Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, Peru, India, Ghana, South Africa and China. Nearly 200 people were wounded, including five Americans.Fighters from an array of nations participated in the assault, according to Kenya's Chief of Defense forces Gen. Julius Karangi."We have an idea who these people are and they are clearly a multinational collection from all over the world," he said.