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Three years on, Kenya remembers Westgate

Kenyans gather outside the  Westgate Mall one year after the attack in remembrance/FILE

Kenyans gather outside the Westgate Mall one year after the attack in remembrance/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 21 — Wednesday marks three years since 67 people were killed by terrorists who attacked the Westgate Mall in Nairobi.

During the four day siege, parts of the building were completely destroyed and CCTV footage showed terrified shoppers fleeing the gunmen and cowering behind counters.

Many Kenyans remember the day as a time when they lost their loved ones and the memories are still deeply engrained in their minds.

The Mall has been repaired and security is extremely tight as business slowly return to normal.

The attack began on September 21, 2013, when four gunmen entered the mall, spraying shoppers and staff with machine gun fire and tossing grenades into crowds of Saturday shoppers and diners.

The gunmen hunted down shoppers in supermarket aisles and singled out non-Muslims for execution.

They then fought it out with Kenyan security forces before the siege was finally declared over four days after the first shot was fired.

Somali extremist group Al Shabaab said it carried out the attack in response to Kenya’s military operations in Somalia.

It has since launched a string of subsequent attacks in Kenya, including one at the Garissa University College where over 140 people, mostly students, were massacred.

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