Nairobi mall still under seige (Updated)
You probably read about the Nairobi mall in Kenya being held by Al-Shabab gunmen yesterday, but it’s still being held 24-hours later. 59 have been killed, thirty or more people are still missing and more than 175 have been injured. From ABC;
Overnight, a senior Obama administration official confirmed to ABC News that four Americans are amongst the injured. Two victims — including one child – remain hospitalized, the official said.
Three British nationals are confirmed dead in the attack, as French and Canadian officials said that their nations each had two citizens killed.
Officials say there are at least 10 to 15 gunmen involved. Initially it was believed the gang were armed robbers but it soon became clear the attackers were targeting non-Muslims.
According to NBC, the UN disapproves;
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon released a statement Sunday condemning the attackers “in the strongest terms.”
“This premeditated act, targeting defenceless civilians, is totally reprehensible,” he wrote. “The perpetrators must be brought to justice as soon as possible.”
I’m sure they’ll be stopped in their tracks. I’m fairly certain that there will be copycat attacks around the world now, including her in the US, since these particular decimated al Qaeda terrorists have been so successful.
This line from the ABC link should probably be in bold and underlined, maybe all caps;
“The gunmen told Muslims to stand up and leave. They were safe, and non-Muslims would be targeted,” said witness Elijah Kamau who was shopping in the mall.
UPDATE: According to United Press International, Israeli Special Forces have been asked by the Kenyan Army to help them resolve the situation. That’s one of the things that people used to ask for from the United States.
Category: Terror War
Time for the TSA to get real serious in their searching of Granny’s over here. One goggles at the lack of reason being used when it has been reported that the FBI cannot target mosques here, except that the pre-9/11 experience of having law enforcement separated should inform us that government cannot do its security job well once PC gets into the mix.
The gunmen, as indicated, are from al-Shabbab and this attack was in revenge for an invasion of Somalia.
I have to ask ‘which one’, but it sounds facetious to do so and I don’t mean it to be.
Anyone who thinks it won’t come here is extremely naive.
SteveC73,
There is no need to target any mosques here, unless there is a valid reason related to a criminal investigation. The FBI, and local FBI JTTF’s have and will maintain effective relationships with most mosques, as the mosques, their leaders and membership are the first to give up the bad apples to the FBI. Once these criminals are indentified a case is open just like any other crime that is being vigorously pursued. When there is a foreign connection FISA and other means of surveilance is employed as appropriate under the guidance and supervision of a special court. And thank God those cases are classified and no one including the MSM has access.
Muslims are not the problem here. It is the tiny percentage of radicalized and/or jihadists that we need to ferret out!
We have been lucky here in the US, and yes mostly unreported, the help of the muslim community has impacted the CT effort.
Again, targetting mosques – BAD!
Targetting criminal behavior – GOOD!
They didn’t ask us because they knew we’d have Congressional hearings and two weeks of debate before authorizing a “limited” response to the situation. The Isrealis will just walk in and kill them all and end this quickly.
CWO … Israel is a good ally to have … wink!
Just one other thought. If there is even one American citizen in that group, as President, I would have a carrier and amphib steaming in that direction while preparing an assualt on the area. Goal – free American and all others, kill and/or capture terrorist and exploit the scene for evidence.
But what the hell do I know!
You have to stop bringing common sense into this and start thinking like a politician. Sheesh !!
Well Israel makes sense in that they have a long standing tradition of breaking shit up when necessary such as at entebbe
Most of us don’t have the contortion ability, rectal diameter, nor cranial vacuum to be politicians.
Kenya’s president also had family members among the dead from this attack.
That poor country being attacked when weak democrats are US president is such a shame.
When there is a Jew or Israeli citizen (one in the same thing essentially as they recognize the connection) at stake Israel will go to the ends of the earth.
I only wish the same was true for an American today!
BTW … someone help me here.
Where is AFRICOM?
I think we know the answer!
Never mind!
Where is AFRICOM you ask?
In Germany drinking good beer and planning “partnerships” with African countries. Actually doing something? not so much. AFRICOM=another sinecure for a 4 star general and his attendant staff.
One of the dead Canadians is a Diplomat. So far, I have heard NO official Canadian response…’nuff said..
@ 13 … ROG THAT. LOUD AND CLEAR. OUT.
Perhaps the reason the Israelis are involved is because the Mall is owned by an Israeli? May also be why it was the target.
If true, I have no doubt Israel SF will stomp the terrorists into a puddle. If they do go in, how long before POTUS condemns their actions?
Clean-up in all aisles of all stores EXCEPT the one selling burqas.
The Israeli ROE are more in line with that part of the world which is why I sometimes find myself wishing Obama would find a bit of his inner Kenyan.
PJ Media is reporting that al-Shabbab tweeted the names of three Americans among their gunmen.
“We received permission to disclose the names of our mujahideen inside #Westgate,” their latest account tweeted.
They proceeded to tweet the names one by one, including Ahmed Mohamed Isse, 22, “native” of St. Paul, Minn., Abdifatah Osman Keenadiid, 24, of Minneapolis, and Gen Mustafe Noorudiin, 27, of Kansas City, Mo.
There are claims by the al-Shabbabits that there were five Americans involved in the attack: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/22/20632904-most-of-the-hostages-rescued-from-kenyan-mall-siege-as-fbi-begins-investigating-claims-of-americans-involvement?lite
and that two of them were from a Somali-heavy town in Minnesota, but it’s THEIR claim and not yet confirmed. FBI is investigating.
If this is true, then I don’t want them coming back here. Period. And I don’t give a damn who knows it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2427892/Nairobi-mall-Gunmen-massacred-22-Kenyan-shopping-centre-targeted-non-Islamics.html
Pictures in the above links. Supposedly the man in the tan vest with the handgun in front of the bicycles is one of several Israeli security contractors in the area who went in with Kenyan police before soldiers arrived.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/world/1.548194
>”There are Israeli advisers helping with the negotiating strategy, but no Israelis involved in any imminent storming operation,” said the source, who declined to be identified.
>The source said only a “handful” of Israelis, “purely in an advisory role,” were on scene at the mall, which has several Israeli-owned outlets and is frequented by expatriates and Kenyans.
@22, and that individual of fair skin standing behind him is probably also an “advisor”.
Is that soldier in pic four carrying an FN SCAR ??
@20: Yeah, we’ve had a problem with that, up here in Minnesota, for a while now.