Yesterday, a Somalian extremist group took control of a mall in Nairobi, Kenya, injuring 175 people and killing 59. The Kenyan miltary remains engaged in a stand-off with al-Shabab in what's being called Kenya's largest terrorist attack since two American embassies were bombed in 1998.
Between 10 and 15 masked men armed with assault rifles and grenades rushed the Westgate mall yesterday afternoon, ordering Muslims to exit before opening fire on pedestrians hailing from the United Kingdom, China, France and Canada in addition to Kenya. The gumen remained in the mall overnight, but minister Joseph Lenku says roughly 1,000 people have been resuced.
According to the Huffington Post, al-Shabab says the attack is a response to Kenyan military presence in Somalia dating back to 2011. They have also promised that more attacks will occur. Gawker reports that gunmen forced victims to pray and ask them questions about the Muslim beliefs. They were killed if they did not answer correctly.
Members of al-Shabab remain inside of the mall and the Kenya Defense Forces have recruited more soldiers to the scene for assitance.
[via The Huffington Post and Gawker]
