Security forces help civilians flee the scene as cars burn at a hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenya, on Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: Ben Curtis/AP)
Kenyan security forces have killed the militants who stormed an upscale Nairobi hotel compound, taking at least 14 lives and forcing hundreds of others to make terrifying escapes, the government said Wednesday.
More than 700 civilians were evacuated from the Dusit D2 complex after a 20-hour siege that echoed a 2013 assault that killed 67 people in Nairobi’s Westgate shopping center in the same neighborhood.
Some people hid under desks as bullets shattered plate-glass doors. Others jumped from windows or ran out under fire.
“The security operation at Dusit complex is over, and all the terrorists eliminated,” President Uhuru Kenyatta told the nation, looking drained and grave.
“As of this moment, we can confirm that 14 innocent lives were lost through the hands of these murderous terrorists.”
Kenyatta did not specify how many assailants there were, but CCTV clips showed at least five dressed in black.
One is seen waiting outside the restaurant before blowing himself up in a cloud of debris just after 3 p.m. (1200 GMT). Four others then shoot assault rifles crossing the car park.
People are evacuated by a member of the security forces at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan.15, 2019. (Photo: Baz Ratner/Reuters)
The attack was claimed by the Somali group al-Shabab, an al-Qaida affiliate fighting an insurgency to topple the weak U.N.-backed government and impose strict Islamic law.
Airstrikes against the group have stepped up under President Trump, but Tuesday’s attack showed the group retains the ability to strike outside Somalia’s borders.
Neighboring Kenya, a hub for expatriates, became a frequent target for al-Shabab after sending troops into Somalia to try to create a buffer zone along the long, porous border. (Reuters)
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Kenyan Red Cross workers help a woman at the Chiromo Mortuary in Nairobi, Kenya, after she learned of a family member killed during the terrorist attack on Jan. 15, 2019, (Photo: Brian Inganga/AP)
A member of Kenyan special forces shouts at the media to go back after his wounded colleague was carried into an ambulance by paramedics at the scene, Jan. 16, 2019, in Nairobi, Kenya. (Photo: Ben Curtis/AP)
A wounded member of Kenyan special forces is carried from a U.S. embassy diplomatic vehicle to an ambulance by paramedics, Jan. 16, 2019, in Nairobi, Kenya. (Photo: Ben Curtis/AP)
Cars burn at the scene of explosions and gunshots in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan.15, 2019. (Photo: Thomas Mukoya/Reuters)
Civilians flee a hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: Ben Curtis/AP)
Rescuers and journalists evacuate an injured man after explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: Njeri Mwangi/Reuters)
A woman is carried on a stretcher by rescue workers during ongoing gunfire and explosions in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: Dai Kurokawa/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
Security officers search for attackers during an attack by terrorists in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: Dai Kurokawa/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
An unexploded grenade lies in a hallway in a hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: Ben Curtis/AP)
An injured man is escorted away by security officers during the attack in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: Dai Kurokawa/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
Security forces surround a shattered door in which an unexploded grenade lies at a hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: Ben Curtis/AP)
Medics rescue a civilian from a hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: John Muchucha/AP)
People are evacuated after explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan.15, 2019. (Photo: Baz Ratner/Reuters)
People run as they are evacuated after explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: Thomas Mukoya/Reuters)
Kenyan security officers search for attackers during in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: Dai Kurokawa/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
People take cover after an attack on a hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: Brian Inganga/AP)
Kenyan RedCross workers provide first aid to injured victims during a terrorist attack in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: Daniel Irungu/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
Kenyan armed soldiers regroup after an attack on a hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: Brian Inganga/AP)
Civilians flee the scene at a hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: Ben Curtis/AP)
Security forces point their weapons through a shattered door behind which an unexploded grenade lies at a hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: Ben Curtis/AP)
A woman is rescued by Kenyan medics after an attack at a hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: Brian Inganga/AP)
Members of security forces secure a building at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan.15, 2019. (Photo: Baz Ratner/Reuters)
Civilians who had been hiding in buildings flee a hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenya, under the direction of a member of security forces, Jan. 15, 2019. (Photo: Ben Curtis/AP)
A woman is evacuated from the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan.15, 2019. (Photo: Thomas Mukoya/Reuters)
Two of the gunmen are pictured as they made their way into a hotel and office complex in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019, in this still image taken from a CCTV footage obtained by Reuters TV on Jan. 16, 2019. (Photo: Reuters TV/Reuters)
A gunman is pictured as he and others make their way into a hotel and office complex in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 15, 2019, in this still image taken from a CCTV footage obtained by Reuters TV on Jan. 16, 2019. (Photo: Reuters TV/Reuters)
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