Reports of fresh gunfire came from inside the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, where siege continues for the third day. This came even as military authorities say the siege is close to an end. At least 68 people have been killed including two Indians and more than 175 injured.
Hour on hour, casualties of the Nairobi mall attack have been pouring into hospital as the Kenyan police battle Al-Shabaab terrorists who carried out the weekend's carnage. From inside Westgate, the uptown shopping mall where gunmen walked in and opened fire on shoppers, stories of horror have been coming out.
Also read: Kenya attack: Two Indians among killed, hundreds injured
India too is counting the cost. Among those dead are IT professional from Chennai Sridhar Natarajan and 8-year-old Paramanshu Jain, the son of a bank manager there.
India's External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said, "It is with some sadness that we have to acknowledge that two Indian nationals, including a young man and a boy, unfortunately succumbed to the attacks. Apart from that there are four Indian nationals who are currently in hospital; they are being provided adequate medical attention."
Kenya's president, whose own relatives were amongst the casualties, vowed to bring the Al Shabaab group, affiliated to al-Qaeda to justice But even on Sunday, gunbattles between his forces and the terrorists continued. Al Shabaab has close links with Al-Qaeda, and the attack on civilians resembles 26/11 and other brutal terror strikes around the world.
Al Shabaab's Islamist radical leaders say they will attack again until Kenyan forces pull out of anti-terror operations in Somalia. For hundreds of innocent victims who faced their bullets, the ordeal is unending.
The family of Sridhar Natarajan killed in the attack has issued a statement saying, "This is difficult time for the family and we are trying to find more information. We are in touch with the relevant authorities in the MEA and we appreciate their help. As we decide the next step, we will appreciate if our privacy, in this difficult hour, is respected."
The Indian authorities have promised all help to the family. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has condemned the attack in Kenya. In a letter to the Kenyan government, he said,
"This incident is a stark reminder that the persisting menace of terrorism remains a formidable challenge that calls for a concerted and sustained response from the global community."
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