{"id":49602,"date":"2014-09-21T08:15:07","date_gmt":"2014-09-21T08:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=49602"},"modified":"2014-09-21T08:15:07","modified_gmt":"2014-09-21T08:15:07","slug":"kenya-marks-westgate-mall-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2014\/09\/kenya-marks-westgate-mall-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenya marks Westgate mall attack"},"content":{"rendered":"
Kenya is marking a year since the attack on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping centre, in which at least 67 people were killed.<\/p>\n
A memorial plaque will be unveiled and a candle-lit vigil held.<\/p>\n
The siege at Westgate lasted four days, with CCTV footage showing terrified shoppers fleeing the gunmen and cowering behind counters.<\/p>\n
Somali Islamist group al-Shabab said it carried out the attack in response to Kenya’s military operations in Somalia.<\/p>\n
On high alert<\/strong><\/p>\n Later on Sunday, relatives of the victims will lay wreaths at a garden in the forest where 67 trees were planted after the attack.<\/p>\n Interfaith prayers will also be held at the site.<\/p>\n “We expect the victims’ families and friends to come out and be part of the healing process,” event organiser Rajesh Shah was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.<\/p>\n “We are prepared in case of anything. Specialised units are on the ground and we have intensified patrols during this period of the anniversary,” Kenyan police chief David Kimaiyo said.<\/p>\n Leader assassinated<\/strong><\/p>\n Last year’s attack sparked a four-day siege in which large parts of the shopping centre were destroyed amid heavy fighting and a fire.<\/p>\n All four gunmen are believed to have died during the assault.<\/p>\n The Kenyan authorities have been criticised for what is seen by some analysts as their slow response to the attack and also lack of co-ordination between police and the army. Kenya rejects the claims.<\/p>\n Four Somalis are being held in prison in Kenya on terrorism charges linked to the attack.<\/p>\n Al-Shabab is fighting to create an Islamic state in Somalia and is banned as a terrorist group by both the US and the UK.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, al-Shabab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane was assassinated in US air strikes in southern Somalia.<\/p>\n The militants later chose a new chief and vowed revenge attacks.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kenya is marking a year since the attack on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping centre, in which at least 67 people were killed. A memorial plaque will be unveiled and a candle-lit vigil held. The siege at Westgate lasted four days, with CCTV footage showing terrified shoppers fleeing the gunmen and cowering behind counters. Somali Islamist group […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":49603,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[38,14],"yoast_head":"\n