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The smoke has cleared and the ringing of gunfire has stopped... as it appears as though the
four-day standoff in an upscale Kenyan shopping mall is nearing an end.
Kenyan officials say all of the hostages have been freed... and three militants were killed
during an assault on Monday.
Kim Min-ji has the latest. Kenyan officials said early Tuesday that all of the hostages
held inside an upscale shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, have been rescued... and their forces
are "in control" of the mall.
"All floors now are under our control. I also confirm we have fully combed the building
so that there is no room for escape."
Heavy gunfire and sporadic explosions were heard at the Westgate shopping mall early
Monday morning,... as Kenyan forces launched a final assault on the building,... both from
the air and on the ground.
Three Islamic militants were also confirmed dead after security forces stormed the besieged
shopping mall,... while about a dozen gunmen were arrested.
A number of gunmen are still thought to be hiding inside the building.
The Kenyan government believes that the group of armed militants includes foreigners from
around the world.
The al-Qaeda linked terrorist group al-Shabaab, which has claimed responsibility for the attack,
had previously released the names of nine of the attackers,... with the list showing
that three were from the U.S., two were from Somalia, and one each was from Canada, Finland,
Kenya and Britain.
The Somali militant group said the deaths were retribution for Kenyan military operations
in Somalia.
The gunmen opened fire at the upscale shopping mall on Saturday around noon, local time,...
killing at least 62 people and injuring over 1-hundred-70.
A 38-year-old Korean woman, Kang Moon-hee, is among the dead.
Seoul's foreign ministry says Kang recently moved to Kenya with her British husband,...
who is currently recovering at a nearby hospital.
Meanwhile, the international community has strongly denounced the attack.
The U.S. State Department has called it "a senseless act of violence"... while the United
Nations, France and Britain have all offered to provide the necessary assistance.
Kim Min-ji, Arirang News.