Explosions and gunfire rock hotel complex in Kenya
The Dusit Hotel Complex in Nairobi, Kenya, has been the site of at least two explosions followed by sustained gunfire.
Located in the upscale Riverside suburbs in the capital, the complex hosts a hotel, offices and residences.
At slightly past 3 pm local time, two explosions coming from the car park reverberated across the complex, followed by gunfire.
A multiagency team, including paramedics, military and police units including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Army, the Air Force, the paramilitary General Service Unit, the Recce squad, and the national police service, have been deployed in response to what is presumably a terrorist attack.
The Inspector General of the Police, Joseph Boinett, has in a brief statement to the media admitted that there may still be gunmen within the complex. However, “the situation is being managed,” according to the Inspector General.
His statement did not formally describe the nature of the attack, neither has it revealed a preliminary count of casualties. However, according to a local media house, at least 17 people have been rushed to three nearby hospitals, almost all with gunshot wounds.
Coincidentally, the attack has occured on the third anniversary of the El-Adde attack, when Al-Shabab militia overran the military base manned by Kenyan soldiers in Somalia. To date, it is not known how many Kenyan soldiers lost their lives in that attack.
Another coincidence is that the attack comes a day after the courts released one person who had been held as a suspect in yet another Al-Shabaab attack, the Westgate Mall attack of September 2013. Both Westgate Mall and Dusit Hotel are within the Westlands district of Nairobi.
At the time of posting, the Dusit Hotel is yet to be secured by the multiagency team, and it remains unknown if there are fatalities within the complex.
More to follow…
By Matengo Chwanya
Africa Global News Publication
