TheCable

Uhuru Kenyatta, president of Kenya, says the militants involved in the attack on a Nairobi hotel have been killed by security operatives.

The militants attacked the Dusit Complex housing the hotel on Tuesday, killing and injuring several occupants.

In a televised address on Wednesday, Kenyatta said the attackers were eliminated after a siege that lasted for about 20 hours.

The president said the attackers killed 14 people, with several injured.

Security operatives evacuated about 700 civilians from the complex. Among those confirmed dead are American and British citizens.

One of the attackers blew up himself at the foyer of the complex.

“I can confirm that the security operation at Dusit complex is over and all the terrorists eliminated,” Kenyatta said.

“As of this moment, we have confirmation that 14 innocent lives were lost to the terrorists, with others injured.”

Al-Shabab, a terrorist group, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

“We are behind the attack in Nairobi. The operation is going on,” Abdiasis Abu Musab, the group’s spokesperson, said.

It is the third time the group is attacking the country after it killed dozens of people in a shopping centre in 2013 and nearly 150 students at a Kenyan university in 2015.