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Associated Press

Extremists launched a deadly attack on a luxury hotel in Kenya’s capital Tuesday, killing at least 14 people and sending others 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” during the battle that involved special forces troops. A mortuary worker later said they had received 14 bodies.

But at 11pm, eight hours after the attack began, bursts of gunfire could still be heard, suggesting the battle at the the dusitD2 hotel complex was still underway.
Al-Shabab – the Somalia-based extremist group that carried out the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi that left 67 people dead – claimed responsibility and said its members were still fighting inside.
“It is terrible. What I have seen is terrible,” said Charles Njenga, who ran from a scene of blood, broken glass, burning vehicles and pillars of black smoke.
Series of US air strikes kills 62 al-Shabab militants in Somalia, Pentagon says
It was not clear how many attackers took part, but the bloodshed appeared to fit the pattern of attacks al-Shabbab often carries out in Somalia’s capital, with an explosion followed by a group of gunmen storming the target.
The attack left blood and glass all over, and as night fell, gunfire continued more than two hours after the first shots were heard. Several vehicles burned, sending black smoke rising over the complex, and people were carried from the scene.

Some ducked behind cars, screaming, while others took cover behind fountains and other features at the lush complex, which includes the dusitD2 hotel, along with bars, restaurants, banks and offices.
“We are aware that armed criminals are holing up in the hotel, and special forces are now currently flushing them out,” said Kenya’s national police chief, Joseph Boinnet, described the assault as a suspected terror attack.
He did not confirm any deaths and or say how many were wounded.
But a Kenyan police officer who was among the first on the scene said: “There was no time to count the dead but it is true that there are people who are dead.”

The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media, said that some bodies were in restaurants downstairs and that colleagues saw others in offices upstairs.
Ambulances, security forces and firefighters converged on the scene of the latest attack along with a bomb disposal unit, and vehicles were cordoned off for fear they contained explosives.
Police said they blew up a car that had explosives inside. An unexploded grenade was also seen in a hallway at the complex.


Security forces hurried out a large group of women, one of them still in curlers. Dozens of others were rushed to safety as plain-clothes officers went shop to shop in the complex. Some people held up their hands to show they were unarmed.
Al-Shabab has vowed retribution against Kenya for sending troops to Somalia since 2011. The al-Qaeda-linked group has killed hundreds of people in Kenya, which has been targeted more than any other of the six countries providing troops to an African Union force in Somalia.
Al-Shabab militants kills dozens of Ugandan peacekeepers in Somalia, posing challenge to African Union
The attack immediately reminded many Kenyans of the Westgate Mall attack, when al-Shabab extremists burst into the luxury shopping centre, hurling grenades and starting a days-long siege.
On Monday, a magistrate ruled that three men must stand trial on charges they were involved in the Westgate siege. A fourth suspect was freed for lack of evidence.

The hotel complex in Nairobi’s Westlands neighbourhood is about a mile (1.6km) from Westgate Mall on a relatively quiet, tree-lined road in what is considered one of the most secure parts of the city. The hotel’s website says it is “cocooned away from the hustle and bustle in a secure and peaceful haven”.
The attack came three years to the day after al-Shabab extremists attacked a Kenyan military base in Somalia, killing scores of people.
Additional reporting by Reuters


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Africa

At least 14 dead as Kenyan troops battle militants at luxury hotel in Nairobi, amid explosions and gunfire

Cars are seen on fire at the scene of explosions and gunshots in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Cars are seen on fire at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya January 15, 2019. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

People are evacuated at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya January 15, 2019. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

A glass damaged by bullets is seen at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya January 15, 2019. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

A member of security forces holds a weapon at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya January 15, 2019. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

Series of US air strikes kills 62 al-Shabab militants in Somalia, Pentagon says

Newly trained al-Shabab fighters perform military exercises in the Lafofe area south of Mogadishu, Somalia, in this file photo. Photo: AP

Somali suicide attackers kill at least 22 at Mogadishu hotel, in raid claimed by Shabab militants

Somali rescue workers carry an unidentified man injured from the scene of an explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Somali security officers run from the scene of an explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia November 9, 2018. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

Smoke billows from the scene of an explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia November 9, 2018. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

Somali al-Shabab militants claim responsibility for Kenya attack that killed dozens

The extremists set two hotels on fire and sprayed bullets into the street killing dozens. Photo: AP

Residents look at bodies of people slain in the attack on the Kenyan coastal  town of Mpeketoni. Photo: Reuters

Mpeketoni residents survey the damage to the Equity bank after the attack. Photo: Reuters

Mogadishu hotel attack leaves 23 dead, al-Shabab takes responsibility

Somali security officers assess the damage at the scene of a suicide car bomb explosion. Photo: Reuters

ATTENTION EDITORS - VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF INJURY Civilians carry a man, injured from a suicide car bomb explosion, at the gate of Naso Hablod Two Hotel in Hamarweyne district of Mogadishu, Somalia October 28, 2017. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

ATTENTION EDITORS - VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF INJURY Civilians assist a man, injured from a suicide car bomb explosion, at the gate of Naso Hablod Two Hotel in Hamarweyne district of Mogadishu, Somalia October 28, 2017. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

Death toll from truck bombing rises above 300 as Somalia fears renewed al-Shabab onslaught

Wounded wait to be airlifted out of Somalia to medical facilities in Turkey after the blast in Mogadishu, which has killed more than 300 people. Photo: AP

People wear red headbands as a sign of anger as they protest against the deadly bomb attack in Mogadishu on October 15, 2017, after a truck bomb exploded outside of the Safari Hotel on a busy road junction, levelling buildings and leaving many vehicles in flames. The death toll from a massive weekend truck bomb in a busy shopping district of Mogadishu surged to at least 137, police said today, warning it could rise further after one of the worst-ever attacks to hit war-torn Somalia. / AFP PHOTO / Mohamed ABDIWAHAB

People chant slogans as they protest against the deadly bomb attack in Mogadishu on October 15, 2017, after a truck bomb exploded outside of the Safari Hotel on a busy road junction, levelling buildings and leaving many vehicles in flames. The death toll from a massive weekend truck bomb in a busy shopping district of Mogadishu surged to at least 137, police said today, warning it could rise further after one of the worst-ever attacks to hit war-torn Somalia. / AFP PHOTO / Mohamed ABDIWAHAB

A general view shows the scene of an explosion in KM4 street in the Hodan district of Mogadishu, Somalia October 14, 2017. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

Somali men carry the body of a victim who died in the explosion of a truck bomb in the centre of Mogadishu, on October 15, 2017. A truck bomb exploded outside a hotel at a busy junction in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on October 14, 2017 causing widespread devastation that left at least 20 dead, with the toll likely to rise. / AFP PHOTO / Mohamed ABDIWAHAB

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World

Al-Shabab, the Somali-based extremist group, claimed responsibility for the attack at the dusitD2 hotel compound


Terrorism

Islamic militancy

At least 14 dead as Kenyan troops battle militants at luxury hotel in Nairobi, amid explosions and gunfire

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Al-Shabab, the Somali-based extremist group, claimed responsibility for the attack at the dusitD2 hotel compound

Al-Shabab, the Somali-based extremist group, claimed responsibility for the attack at the dusitD2 hotel compound