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Kenya President Declares Victory Over Terrorists in Mall Carnage
ABC News ^ | 09/24/2013 | ANTHONY CASTELLANO and RUSSELL GOLDMAN

Posted on 09/24/2013 2:23:15 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

The president of Kenya declared victory over terrorists today saying that despite an "immense" loss of life during the attack on a Nairobi shopping mall, defense forces "ashamed and defeated our attackers."

President Uhuru Kenyatta described a scene of bloody carnage following a lengthy siege of the Westgate mall that left at least 72 people dead, including 61 civilians.

The death toll is expected to rise, he said, because in the final hours of fighting, three of the mall's floors collapsed, resulting in "several bodies still trapped in the rubble including the terrorists."

He said 240 people had been injured in the attack since armed members of al-Shabab, an Islamist terror organization linked to al-Qaeda, opened fire on shoppers on Saturday.

He described the terrorists as "craven wretches and lowly cowards." The president said an investigation was ongoing to confirm the identities and nationalities of the victims and the attackers, and he said officials were trying to confirm reports that the attackers included a British woman and two or three Americans.

He declared three days of national mourning.

Just before Kenyatta broadcast his address, President Barack Obama spoke at the United Nations General Assembly, calling the terror attack a "tragedy."

The FBI is preparing to deploy a full team to Nairobi to investigate the attack, officials told ABC News. Agents are coming from a variety of places but the case is being led by the New York field office, which handles crimes against Americans that occur in Africa.

The FBI investigates crimes against Americans and U.S. interests overseas. The United States offered assistance to the Kenyan government soon after the assault began Saturday.

Kenyan authorities have claimed "full control" of the Westgate Mall as they sweep the shopping center for any remaining terrorists, hostages still in hiding and dead bodies.

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: kenya; kenyamallmassacre; nairobi; rehash; terrorism; westgatemall
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To: SeekAndFind

Is this Kenyatta related to Mau Mau leader and former president Jomo Kenyatta? If he is...he is cheering how many honkies and oreos got capped. Kenya is still a Third World Africa Craphole


21 posted on 09/24/2013 2:59:17 PM PDT by SeminoleCounty (Unemployment is so high...its getting harder for Obama to job people anymore)
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To: SeekAndFind

What’s the role of the FBI - to make sure that there are no embarrassing trails back to Obama linked Islamist organizations in the US?


22 posted on 09/24/2013 3:09:02 PM PDT by Truth29
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To: South40

“Kenya President...Obama?”

Not our imposter, this one said “Victory”.


23 posted on 09/24/2013 3:26:03 PM PDT by RS_Rider (I hate Illinois Nazis)
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To: SeminoleCounty
Is this Kenyatta related to Mau Mau leader and former president Jomo Kenyatta?

Yes.

If he is...he is cheering how many honkies and oreos got capped.

A lot has changed over the last 60 years.

Try to keep up.

24 posted on 09/24/2013 3:28:04 PM PDT by x
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To: NEMDF

Yes... just an “overseas contingency operation”.


25 posted on 09/24/2013 3:57:10 PM PDT by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
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To: manc

He himself is the greatest American tragedy.


26 posted on 09/24/2013 4:31:47 PM PDT by 353FMG ( I refuse to say whether I am serious or sarcastic -- I respect FReepers too much.)
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To: SeekAndFind

I seem to remember a few days ago reading that Israeli soldiers were making an attack on these terrorists.

Now it has disappeared. Did they or didn’t they.


27 posted on 09/24/2013 4:38:21 PM PDT by Venturer ( cowardice posturing as tolerance =political correctness)
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To: Toespi; x; SeminoleCounty; Jack Hammer; arthurus; mojito; SeekAndFind
As a Kenyan I felt I have to respond to some of the posts on this thread. This is not blind patriotism but simply an attempt to inject some logic into some of the posts. The first three I reference are not bad, and to be honest there are a number of things that could have been done better (although considering Kenya is a 'third world crap hole' as Seminole County so astutely reminded us, I am surprised the security forces did such a good job considering the extent of the attack ...I didn't even know our special forces used FN SCARs and M4s), I am just trying to add a new angle. The last one - about Kenyatta celebrating the death of (to use the poster's ghetto speak) 'honkies and oreos getting capped' is idiotic. And no, this is not about 'hurt feelings' - although, considering the dead, feelings would be a totally viable response to such idiocy - but the fact that some day you Americans will also be hit by the sme type of Jihadis, and I doubt any of you will respect asinine comments from someone living 10,000 miles away talking crap. I don't expect Seminole County to comprehend that, but maybe the rest of you will.

Anyways, to respond to the posts ...

72+ dead, 240 injured, three floors collapsed......a victory for who? - Toespi

A victory for the over 1,000 rescued. A victory in that the vile acts of these unwashed didn't break the nation. Kind of similar to how the 9/11 attacks did not break NYC, and America at large. A victory in that the attack has brought a country that had various schisms together (it has been amazing on the ground). In a large terrorist attack there will always be casaulties, and if one's measure of success is based on zero dead/injured then every single act the terrorists accomplish goes their way. Victory is not about the act, it is about how the act is dealt with, and how the people embroiled in that action handle it.

The Victory goes, of course, to the Jihadis. They did not expect to finish it alive. They set out to create mayhem and fear. They created mayhem and fear. They won. - Arthurus

Well, 6 were killed and 11 caught alive. If they didn't expect to finish alive then 11 of them messed up, and right now they must be wishing they were in Gitmo because of what will be done to them. As for creating mayhem and fear ...they succeeded in the mayhem and not so much on the fear. People have been coming together to help out, whether it is having food for the soldiers or donating blood. Already there is a movement that people will keep going to the other malls and will not be stopped by fear. This action has served to steel the people and bring them together. Again, to bring 9/11 (since some only put things into context when American lives are involved), the jihadis wreaked a lot of havoc that September. A lot of mayhem, including the destruction of buildings and the loss of almost three THOUSAND lives. Did the terrorists win? Well, ask your average New Yorker if they won.

Nice work, Kenyatta; however, a victory would have been all terrorists killed and no citizens harmed in any way. - Jack Hammer

Is that possible? If it happened in the Mall of America, for instance, there would be no citizen harmed? If those are the standards for victory then I guess the entire war on terror has been a waste of time as the terrorists always seem able to kill some people. Additionally, there have been several attacks that have been stopped before they even started. It is just that it is a numbers game ...eventually one goes through, as happened in Kenya, and as is bound to happen in the US some day. Who knows ...I may decide to question then, when Americans are mourning and everyone is hanging American flags and saying the terrorists cannot win, that the terrorists have already won. After all, they killed people, didn't they? Although, knowing myself, I will be sensitive and mourn with your country. Takes more heart (and brains) to do that than the alternative.

Is this Kenyatta related to Mau Mau leader and former president Jomo Kenyatta? If he is...he is cheering how many honkies and oreos got capped. Kenya is still a Third World Africa Craphole - Seminole County

Yes, he is related to Jomo Kenyatta. As for him laughing at honkies and oreos getting 'capped,' considering his sister and son were rescued from that mall, and he lost his nephew (and nephew's fiance), I somewhat doubt he is doing a jig. As for Kenya being a third world Africa craphole, I am not sure what that has to do with the terrorist attacks, but when the US gets hit (as we all know will happen ...it is a numbers game) don't act surprised when you see some people not being as supportive. There is a lot to love about the US, but some Americans are insensitive assholes.

28 posted on 09/25/2013 12:44:13 AM PDT by spetznaz (Nuclear-tipped Ballistic Missiles: The Ultimate Phallic Symbol)
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To: spetznaz

I gotta agree with you that this thread has idiotic posts on it.

Kenya did fine clearing the mall of terrorists. The U.S. will face the same attacks soon enough, and the posters here who fret from their safe couches about perfect security will no doubt fault someone else who is protecting them when that time comes. After all, it’s easy to criticize when your a$$ isn’t on the line.

Kenya’s army is also doing a good job clearing out al Shabaab and al Qaeda from Somalia’s major cities.

No doubt the idiotic posters above will forget Clinton retreating from Blackhawk Down there. Well, Kenya is there in Somalia fighting the good fight for us.

...but all in all, most posters are uneducated idiots who just went to vent online.

Anyone who complains about less than perfection is suspect, after all.


29 posted on 09/25/2013 12:59:03 AM PDT by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
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To: spetznaz

“In a large terrorist attack there will always be casaulties”

When a country is reeling from a terrorist attack, regardless of the country. The people always get the “pep” talks. “We weren’t broken,” “we will rebuild”, “this was a victory for the people”, “we would like to thank the first responders”, blah, blah, blah. Are you going to be burying a child, a spouse, a parent, from this monstrous terrorist attack? Do you suppose those that are, have dismissed the death of their loved one as just another casualty or a VICTORY? The aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing was treated in the same manner, all the leaders paid by the people to protect the people spouted the same crap of how we won. The truth is, they weren’t doing their jobs, they looked the other way. Now there are dozens of people with prosthetic limbs being told they won.

It appears that you have already conceded to terrorism, accepting casualties, across the world as a new way of life. Demand answers as to how this was allowed to happen. Make your leaders accountable for not acknowledging their failure to protect you against the Islamic death givers around the world. Don’t defend their celebration of doing nothing and then declaring victory.


30 posted on 09/25/2013 6:12:13 AM PDT by Toespi
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To: Toespi
Don't get me wrong. Tough questions will be asked. No questions about that, and positive changes will be made. That wasn't my point however. My point is that expecting a 100% success rate is not possible. Kenya cannot do that, Israel hasn't achieved that, and trust me neither can the US. It's like a game of ice hockey ...no matter how good your team is the puck will eventually get through. There will always be a leaker. The Kenyans have stopped a number of attacks (just last year two Iranians were arrested with lots of explosives), and there have been a number of joint Kenyan-Israeli operations.

Does that mean one should rest on their laurels? No. However, a 100% success rate is simply not possible. That means you have to be successful every single time, and the other guy a failure every single time.

That is not 'conceding' to terrorism, but rather reality. At least I cannot think of one country in the world that has achieved it.

However you do raise a salient point - questions must be asked and security tightened. But no matter what no country will achiever 100% success rate.

(Unless maybe the US decides to put its nukes to useful purpose and sanitize the earth of a certain problem, but we both know that will never happen)

31 posted on 09/25/2013 6:33:40 AM PDT by spetznaz (Nuclear-tipped Ballistic Missiles: The Ultimate Phallic Symbol)
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To: spetznaz
I made none of the supposedly offensive quotes in your post, but I still hold that this was hardly a “victory,” and for your president to crow about it as if it were a “victory” is stupid. The terrorists attacked on Saturday, and the counter-attack didn’t begin until Monday. I’d call that operational failure.
32 posted on 09/25/2013 9:27:30 AM PDT by mojito (Zero, our Nero.)
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To: mojito

You did not make any offensive statements, and I believe I said that in my post. Only one poster was a sot, and that wasn’t you.


33 posted on 09/25/2013 11:25:36 AM PDT by spetznaz (Nuclear-tipped Ballistic Missiles: The Ultimate Phallic Symbol)
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To: spetznaz

bump


34 posted on 09/25/2013 11:37:29 AM PDT by SZonian (Throwing our allegiances to political parties in the long run gave away our liberty.)
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To: mojito

No shit...I’d hate to see what this guy’s idea of ‘defeat’ look like...


35 posted on 09/25/2013 1:07:30 PM PDT by Fedupwithit (Your opinion: It's all yours....don't expect me to listen to it, or even acknowledge it..)
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To: spetznaz

Excellent post. Prayers continue for the people of Kenya.


36 posted on 09/25/2013 1:14:04 PM PDT by Raebie (WS)
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To: spetznaz

Thanks for the information. I don’t know much about Kenya’s post-independence history, but it seemed to me that if Jomo Kenyatta had governed like Robert Mugabe or Idi Amin we would have heard about it by now. That there were people of all races in the mall suggests that things haven’t been as bad in Kenya as some posters said.


37 posted on 09/25/2013 2:50:55 PM PDT by x
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