Heavy bursts of gunfire have been heard from inside a Nairobi shopping centre where gunmen have killed at least 62 people.
Sky News
It comes only hours after Kenya’s interior ministry said security forces were “in control” of the Westgate mall following a three-day siege.
All hostages trapped by the attackers have been evacuated from the Nairobi complex, according to government spokesman Manoah Esipisu.
But he cautioned that some of the insurgents could still be hiding after up to 15 of them stormed the building on Saturday in a grenade and gun attack targeting shoppers.
Troops have been combing the building overnight, going from floor to floor looking for “anyone left behind”, said the interior ministry.
According to Sky News sources the British military is now giving assistance to Kenyan forces at the mall and has offered further assistance.
On Monday, the Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond, said: “As the Prime Minister made clear, we have said we will provide them with any assistance which they request. We haven’t yet been asked to provide any assistance beyond broad background advice.”
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The gunmen were believed to be members of al Qaeda-linked Somali militant group al Shabaab which said the assault was in retaliation for Kenya’s military helping the government in Mogadishu.
Kenya’s Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed said a British woman and “two or three Americans” were among the militants.
Six British nationals are believed to have been killed in the terror attack. Among the dead were eight-year-old Jenah Bawa and 33-year-old Ross Langdon.
Almost 200 people were hurt in the attack, and 63 others had been recorded missing by the Red Cross – a figure thought to include hostages as well as those possibly killed.
Mr Esipisu said: “Our special forces are inside the building checking the rooms. Obviously it’s a very, very big building.
“We think that everyone, the hostages, have been evacuated but we don’t want to take any chances. The special forces are doing their job and yes, I think we are near the end.”
He also told AFP: “The special forces call this sanitising. It’s a very complex and very delicate operation.
“At the moment they have not met any resistance, but of course we are not ruling out the possibility that there are a couple of them hiding in a remote room or corner.”
Earlier, Islamist militants were reported to be “running and hiding” in stores as security forces closed in.
Kenyan police said three terrorists had been killed and others were hurt after the military launched a major assault.
Eleven soldiers from the Kenyan Defence Force were wounded in the fighting, and more than 10 people have been arrested over Saturday’s attack.
Interior minister Joseph Ole Lenku said there was “no way out” for the militants and “no room for escape”.
Around lunchtime on Monday, four huge explosions were heard followed by a barrage of gunfire at the shopping complex in the Kenyan capital.
Black smoke poured from the top of the building as troops lay siege to the mall while military and police helicopters circled above.
Security officials at the scene said the explosions had been caused by Kenyan forces who set off blasts to get in through the roof.
However, Mr Lenku said the smoke had been down to the al Shabaab fighters setting fire to mattresses as a decoy.
US President Barack Obama, whose father was born in Kenya, said the United States stood with Kenyans against “this terrible outrage.”
“We will provide them with whatever law enforcement support that is necessary. And we are confident that Kenya will continue to be a pillar of stability in eastern Africa.”
The atrocity is the worst in Nairobi since an al Qaeda bomb attack on the US embassy in 1998 that killed more than 200 people.
The Kenyan Red Cross has set up a webpage for anyone worried about friends or relatives who might be caught up in the siege.
A helpline has been set up for people in the UK who are concerned about relatives in Kenya: 020 7008 000.
