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abujagirl
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Military and police are out in force at the Westgate center, trying to capture the gunmen
Kenyan troops are locked in a fierce firefight with Somali militants inside an upmarket Nairobi shopping mall on Sunday, in a final push to end a siege that has left 59 dead and 200 wounded with an unknown number of hostages still being held.
The attack began at about 12:00 local time (09:00 GMT) on Saturday, when the attackers entered the Westgate center throwing grenades and firing automatic weapons. A children's day event was being held at the time - children are among those reported killed.
Al-Shabab has claimed there are at least 36 hostages, but this cannot be independently confirmed and there are also likely to be people hiding away from the attackers.
According to BBC News, 1,000 people had managed to escape from the Westgate center after the assault by suspected al-Shabab militants. Meanwhile between 10 to 15 attackers were still in the building.
A lady going through extraordinary lengths to escape
News24 reported that, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta in a televised address to the nation late on Saturday said that he had "personally lost family members in the Westgate attack".
"Let me make it clear. We shall hunt down the perpetrators wherever they run to. We shall get them. We shall punish them for this heinous crime," he vowed.
Kenyan officials said "major operations" were under way with police and soldiers preparing an apparent bid to bring an end to the stand-off.
They said the security forces had finally "pinned down" the surviving gunmen.
Trapped shoppers
Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku says the operation at the shopping center is "very very delicate"
"The work is continuing, but you cannot rush these things," an army officer posted on the perimeter cordon set up around the mall told the AFP news agency.
The authorities are also appealing for Kenyans to donate blood for the injured - and big queues are forming at a donation center in central Nairobi.
