Nairobi attack: Al Shabab militants 'eliminated' after deadly 20-hour siege

Eleven Kenyans and several foreigners reported among casualties after Al Shabab claims assault in Westlands

People are evacuated by a member of security forces at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya. Reuters

Kenyan armed forces rescue people after an attack on a hotel, in Nairobi, Kenya. Extremists launched a deadly attack on a luxury hotel in Kenya's capital Tuesday, sending people fleeing in panic as explosions and heavy gunfire reverberated through the complex. A police officer said he saw bodies, "but there was no time to count the dead." AP Photo

A civilian meets with friends and family after being evacuated from the scene where gunmen blasted their way into a hotel and office complex in Nairobi, Kenya. Reuters

People are evacuated at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

Cars are seen on fire at the scene. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

A window damaged by bullets has escaped shattering. Baz Ratner / Baz Ratner

Members of the security forces in situ. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

A woman is evacuated. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

A member of the security forces gestures as people take cover. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

Security forces stand guard. Ben Curtis / AP Photo

People are evacuated from the danger zone. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

An armed soldier takes cover next to a bullet-riddled window. Dai Kurokawa / EPA

A member of the security forces keeps guard as people are evacuated. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

People stand next to a wall as events unfold. Raphael Ambasu / AFP

A vehicle is seen as a member of the security forces keeps a look out. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

A Kenyan woman (R) is overwhelmed by emotions after receiving the news that her relative (not pictured) was rescued from a business complex in Nairobi, Kenya, a day after suspected militants stormed an upscale hotel and office complex killing several people. The attack has been claimed by Somalia's Islamist militant group al-Shabab. Interior minister Fred Matiang'i said late 15 January that security forces have secured all the buildings without giving further details. According to media reports, at least 15 people have been killed, but no official number has been so far confirmed by the government. EPA

A woman is rescued at the scene of an on going terrorist attack at a hotel complex in Nairobi's Westlands suburb. Fifteen people have died in the Islamist attack on an upmarket hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenyan police sources said on January 16, as fresh explosions and gunfire rang out in the siege which stretched into its second day. AFP

Kenyan police officers return from the scene inside a business complex in Nairobi, Kenya, a day after the attackers stormed the compound killing several people in an attack claimed by Somalia's Islamist militant group al-Shabab. Interior minister Fred Matiangi said late 15 January that security foces have secured all the buildings without giving details. EPA

Latest: Death toll from Nairobi attack rises to 21 and 50 unaccounted for

Five militants who stormed an upmarket hotel complex in Nairobi were "eliminated" after an almost 20 hour siege that left at least 14 victims dead, Kenyan police chief Joseph Boinnet said on Wednesday.

"There were five terrorists and all of them are no more," he told AFP.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta urged Kenyans to “go back to work without fear” in a televised address on Wednesday, insisting that the East African nation remained safe for citizens and visitors. "I can now confirm that... the security operation at Dusit is over and all terrorists have been eliminated," Mr Kenyatta said.

In the northern Nairobi neighbourhood of Westlands, the DusitD2 is an upmarket hotel and office park that includes bars, restaurants, business headquarters and banks. The complex was attacked on Tuesday afternoon, with gunfire continuing into Wednesday.

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The dead militants included one suicide bomber, two killed on Tuesday night and another two killed by security forces on Wednesday, a police source said.

In addition, at least 14 civilians were killed in the attack, Mr Kenyatta said, which was claimed by Al Shabab, an Al Qaeda affiliate. More than 700 civilians were rescued from the building.

Kenyan authorities have not released a number for how many were wounded during the attack but one hospital reported it had received seven patients, most of whom suffered from gunshot wounds. Two of those died and the rest needed emergency surgery, said Dr Vishal Patel, medical director at MP Shah Hospital, a private facility a short distance from the DusitD2 complex.

Kenyan police said earlier on Wednesday that there was still an “active security operation” around the complex. Another explosion was heard at the scene on Wednesday afternoon, more than 24 hours after the attack began and after authorities announced that all was secure.

Authorities urged members of the public to stay away from the scene. "The area around 14 Riverside Drive is a Crime Scene ... under an active security operation," police said in a message on Twitter, referring to the complex's address.

Those killed in the attack included 11 Kenyans and several foreign nationals. Many were dining at the Secret Garden restaurant at the complex when the attack began.

San Francisco-based company I-DEV International confirmed that American Jason Spindler was among the dead. Spindler was the co-founder and managing director of the global strategy and investment consultancy. Nine others in its Nairobi office were safely evacuated.

The London-based company Adam Smith International said two of its employees were shot to death during the attack. Abdalla Dahir and Feisal Ahmed were killed on the terrace of a restaurant in the complex where the company has offices. Some 50 more staff were safely evacuated.

Scores of people were still being rescued at daybreak on Wednesday after a night trapped in the complex. At least two groups of people remained in the hotel and business complex just before 7 am.

The Al Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for the bomb and shooting attack, according to the SITE Intel Group which monitors extremist groups. Surveillance footage recovered from the scene showed four gunmen dressed in black storming the hotel on Tuesday afternoon.

Grief-stricken families flocked to a morgue in the Kenyan capital to identify the bodies of the dead. Families arriving at the Chiromo morgue were told they could not view the bodies until a forensic investigation had been performed however, provoking grief and anger.

The family of one Kenyan, 35, collapsed in the courtyard upon hearing a body had arrived with his identification papers.

"He is gone, he is gone," the father repeated into his phone as his mother wrapped a shawl around herself and wept, Reuters reported.

Another family arrived, demanding to see whether their relative was there but were told only police had access. As they argued, an elderly couple arrived in silence, bringing a freshly pressed suit to dress their son.

Outside the morgue, two Red Cross ambulances waited, their drivers asleep inside. They would go to the complex to retrieve casualties once it was safe, morgue staff said.

Kenyan police say said they detained a man and two women following a raid on a house where one of the Nairobi attackers was said to have lived. The suspects were being questioned "to establish how they knew the man who lived here and the people who had been visiting," a police official said.

Police carried out the raid after neighbours reported they had identified a vehicle that had been parked outside the hotel complex during the attack.