Story highlights The number of hostages believed to be held drops to 10 or less 
 
 Security forces are reported to have taken control of most of the mall 
 
 Three of the alleged attackers are believed to be from the United States 
 
 At least 68 people have been killed, another 175 injured 
 
 Authorities in Kenya appeared close to ending a deadly siege Monday at an upscale Nairobi mall, where attackers have killed at least 68 people, injured 175, and are believed to still be holding about 10 people hostage. 
 
 "All efforts are underway to bring this matter to a speedy conclusion," the Kenyan military announced on Twitter. 
 
 It said that "most of the hostages have been rescued and security forces have taken control of most parts of the building." 
 
 Earlier, police had tweeted that a "MAJOR assault" by security forces was ongoing. 
 
 The developments come some two days after Al-Shabaab militants first stormed the shopping center, spraying bullets and unleashing chaos. 
 
 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Relatives of Johnny Mutinda Musango, 48, weep after identifying his body at the city morgue in Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday, September 24. Musango was one of the victims of the Westgate Mall hostage siege. Kenyan security forces were still combing the mall on the fourth day of the siege by al Qaeda-linked terrorists. Hide Caption 1 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Ann Gakii reacts at the Nairobi City Mortuary after identifying the body of her father, who was killed in the mall attack on Saturday. Hide Caption 2 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A Kenyan soldier runs through a corridor on an upper floor at the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, on September 24, shortly before an explosion was heard. Sounds of heavy gunfire erupted from the mall Tuesday, even as authorities said they had the building under their control. But four days after Al-Shabaab terrorists stormed the swanky mall, several gunmen -- including snipers -- were still inside, two senior officials said. Hide Caption 3 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Kenyan Defense Forces walk near the mall on Monday, September 23. Hide Caption 4 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Kenyan Defense Forces leave the mall on September 23. Hide Caption 5 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Stephen, center, is comforted by relatives as he waits for the post mortem exam of his father, who was killed in Saturday's attack at the mall. Hide Caption 6 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A Kenyan police officer guards the entrance of a building near the mall on September 23. Hide Caption 7 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A Kenyan security officer takes cover as gunfire and explosions are heard from the mall on September 23. Hide Caption 8 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Heavy smoke rises from the Westgate Shopping Mall on September 23. Hide Caption 9 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Medics take cover behind a tree as gunfire and explosions are heard from the Westgate Mall on September 23. Hide Caption 10 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A Kenyan police security officer runs for cover as heavy smoke rises from the mall on September 23. Hide Caption 11 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A paramedic runs for cover outside the mall on September 23. Hide Caption 12 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – People run for cover outside the mall after heavy shooting started on September 23. Hide Caption 13 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Kenyan security forces crouch behind a wall outside the mall on September 23. Hide Caption 14 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Soldiers take cover after gunfire near the mall on September 23. Hide Caption 15 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Kenyan paramilitary police officers patrol the area near the mall on Sunday, September 22. Hide Caption 16 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Soldiers from the Kenya Defense Forces arrive outside the Westgate Mall on September 22. Hide Caption 17 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A woman shields a baby as a soldier stands guard inside the Westgate Mall on Saturday, September 21. Hide Caption 18 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A rescue worker helps a child outside the mall. Hide Caption 19 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – People who had been hiding inside the mall during the gunfire flee the scene. Hide Caption 20 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – An armed official takes a shooting position inside the mall. Hide Caption 21 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – An armed official crouches on September 21. Hide Caption 22 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Hide Caption 23 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Bodies lie on the ground inside the mall. Hide Caption 24 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Men help a wounded woman outside the mall. Hide Caption 25 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Officials carry an injured man in the mall. Hide Caption 26 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Soldiers move up stairs inside the Westgate Mall. Hide Caption 27 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Armed police leave after entering the mall. At least one suspect has been killed, a government official said. Police have said another suspected gunman has been detained at a Nairobi hospital. Hide Caption 28 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Armed police take cover behind escalators as smoke fills the air. Witnesses say tear gas was thrown in the corridors. Hide Caption 29 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A woman who had been hiding during the attack runs for cover after armed police enter the mall. Hide Caption 30 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A body is seen on the floor inside the smoke-filled four-story mall. Hide Caption 31 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – An injured person is helped on arrival at the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi after the attack at the upscale mall. Hide Caption 32 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A soldier directs people up a stairway inside the Westgate on September 21. Hide Caption 33 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – An injured man is wheeled into the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi. Hide Caption 34 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – People run from the Westgate Mall. Hide Caption 35 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A Kenyan woman is helped to safety after the masked gunmen stormed the upscale mall and sprayed gunfire on shoppers and staff. Hide Caption 36 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Crowds gather outside the upscale shopping mall. The interior ministry urges Kenyans to keep off the roads near the mall so police can ensure everyone inside has been evacuated to safety. Hide Caption 37 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A policeman carries a baby to safety. Authorities said multiple shooters were at the scene. Hide Caption 38 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Bodies lie outside the shopping mall. Hide Caption 39 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A security officer helps a wounded woman outside. Hide Caption 40 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Elaine Dang of San Diego is helped to safety after the attack. The military asked local media not to televise anything live because the gunmen are watching the screens in the mall. Hide Caption 41 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Paramedics treat an injured man outside the mall. Hide Caption 42 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Medical personnel carry a body away. Hide Caption 43 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A body lies outside the mall. Gunmen shot people outside the mall as they entered it Hide Caption 44 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A woman is pulled by a shopping cart to an ambulance. Hide Caption 45 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A wounded man is escorted outside the mall. Hide Caption 46 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A police officer carries a baby as people keep low and run to safety. Crowds dashed down the streets as soldiers in military fatigues, guns cocked, crawled under cars to get closer to the mall. Hide Caption 47 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – People run away from the scene. Hide Caption 48 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – Armed Kenyan forces take position to secure the area around the shopping mall as ambulances move in to carry the injured. Hide Caption 49 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A woman reacts after she is rescued from the mall. Hide Caption 50 of 51 Photos: Photos: Kenya mall attack Kenya mall attack – A couple flee the area. As night fell, authorities said they had cornered the gunmen in the mall. Hide Caption 51 of 51 
 
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 There are believed to be between 10-15 gunmen involved in the attack, officials said. 
 
 Sources within Al-Shabaab told CNN that nine names listed on a Twitter site -- now suspended -- were people who were among the alleged hostage-takers. 
 
 Three of the alleged attackers are from the United States, two are from Somalia and there is one each from Canada, Finland, Kenya and the United Kingdom, according to the list. 
 
 The FBI is looking into the claim that American citizens were involved the attack, but have not confirmed that. 
 
 Similarly, a senior State Department official said that the United States is trying to determine whether any of the alleged attackers are American. But, the official said, authorities are becoming more confident American citizens were involved. 
 
 Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta vowed Sunday to hold those responsible for the violence, accountable. 
 
 The tragedy is personal for the president; one of his nephews and his fiancee were among the dead. 
 
 "They shall not get away with their despicable, beastly acts. Like the cowardly perpetrators now cornered in the building, we will punish the masterminds swiftly and indeed very painfully," Kenyatta said. 
 
 'Bunch of cowards' 
 
 Sporadic gunfire could be heard throughout the day Sunday, and at least one explosion. Those sounds were followed by periods of tense silence. 
 
 Soldiers kept vigil outside the mall, guns dangling from their shoulders. Later in the day, helicopters approached. 
 
 The Kenyan Red Cross tweeted that nine bodies were recovered Sunday night, bringing the death toll to 68. 
 
 More than 175 were injured in the attack, Kenyatta said. He and other Kenyan officials visited hospitals Sunday morning. 
 
 "No one should lose their life so needlessly, so senselessly and no family should have to receive news that their loved ones have been killed by a criminal bunch of cowards," the president said. 
 
 The mall siege was the deadliest terror attack in Kenya since al Qaeda blew up the U.S. Embassy there in 1998, killing 213 people. 
 
 Al-Shabaab, al Qaeda's proxy in Somalia, claimed responsibility, and said it was not backing down. In a message on its Twitter feed, the group said "all Muslims" were escorted from the mall before the attack. 
 
 "When justice is denied, it must be enforced," it said in a tweet Sunday. "Kenyans were relatively safe in their cities before they invaded us & killed Muslims #Westgate" 
 
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 Since Kenya launched attacks against Al-Shabaab in Somalia in 2011, the group has hurled grenades at Kenyan churches, bus stops and other public places. 
 
 Last year, the Kenyan military played a major role in handing Al-Shabaab forces a defeat when as part of a peacekeeping mission, they liberated the key Somali port of Kismayo. 
 
 The attack Saturday targeted a popular weekend meeting spot. Kenyans and expatriates gather at the luxurious Westgate Shopping Mall on weekends to drink lattes, catch a movie or browse through the more than 80 stores. 
 
 Many questions 
 
 Police in Kenya grew irritated as people took to social media to describe what they were seeing and hearing. 
 
 "If you must Facebook or tweet, then talk about football or your favourite music but NOT MISINFORM the public on security operations!" authorities said on Twitter. 
 
 Three injured security forces were taken out of the besieged mall, but the severity of their injuries was unclear. 
 
 By Sunday afternoon, at least 1,000 people had been freed from the mall, Kenyatta said. But some 30 people were believed to still be held. 
 
 Later, that number fell to no more than 10, military spokesman Cyrus Oguna told CNN affiliate KTN. 
 
 "The number that is still left in the building is very, very small," he said, without providing details on how people got out. 
 
 One apparent hostage left the building Sunday, and said she had been hiding in the basement of the mall, KTN reported. 
 
 Al-Shabaab vowed not to negotiate with Kenyan authorities. 
 
 "The Mujahideen are still strong inside #Westgate Mall and still holding their ground," the group tweeted late Saturday. 
 
 Israeli special forces were at the scene and were working with their Kenyan counterparts in the hostage crisis, Kenyan government sources told CNN. 
 
 Kenyatta said several nations had offered help but "this remains an operation of the Kenya security agencies." 
 
 State House spokesman Manoah Esipisu said there were reports of a white woman among the hostage takers. Kenyan intelligence officials were investigating the claims, he said. 
 
 Esipisu was asked if the reported woman was thought to be the infamous Al-Shabaab-affiliated "White Widow," Samantha Lewthwaite. "Nothing is being ruled out," he said. 
 
 But CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen said it was unlikely. 
 
 "It would be very unusual for a woman to be involved in one of these operations," he said. "Typically these groups are misogynist. Their view is the woman should be in a home and shrouded in a body veil." 
 
 Lewthwaite's husband, Germaine Lindsey, was one of the suicide bombers killed in the 2005 attack on London's transportation system. His Buckinghamshire-born widow is wanted by Kenyan authorities for her alleged role as an Al-Shabaab and al Qaeda-linked financier. 
 
 A day of horror 
 
 The calm was shattered around noon local time Saturday. Gunshots erupted as shoppers picked up groceries, savored lunch and browsed through the racks at stores. 
 
 Before long, pools of blood smeared pristine hallways. Bodies lay strewn across the floor. 
 
 Uche Kaigwa-Okoye was sipping coffee when he heard what first sounded like a fallen table, then the continuing rat-a-tat of gunfire. As the gunshots became louder, screaming crowds headed for the exits. 
 
 He joined 20 people who took shelter for about five hours in a women's bathroom cubicle. 
 
 "They had grenades, and it was really, really loud," he said of the attackers. He noticed tear gas in the hallways as well. 
 
 "All of us felt like they were close," he said. 
 
 As people texted family and friends outside the mall, word spread that nobody could be trusted. And even if the good guys could be sorted from the bad guys, the intermittent barrages of gunfire made any escape attempt seem futile. 
 
 Sara Head, a Washington resident, experienced similar horror in the mall's parking garage. As her car pulled up, she heard gunfire. She crawled underneath and hid behind cars before getting into a stairwell. 
 
 Eventually, the stairwell lights came back on and the door to a nearby supermarket opened. She dashed through, passed a nearby loading dock and fled to safety. 
 
 "There was blood throughout the supermarket," Head said. "It wasn't clear if it was OK to exit." 
 
 Several Kenyan agencies made a plea for blood donations. 
 
 "Hospitals are appealing for more blood, the response is incredible but more is needed," tweeted Francis Kimemia, secretary to the Cabinet. 
 
 Foreigners among casualties 
 
 Most of the casualties are Kenyan, authorities said. But the mall is popular with expatriates and foreign nationals, who were among those killed and injured. 
 
 Those killed include three British citizens, two French nationals and two Canadians, including a diplomat, their governments said. 
 
 Several American citizens were among the wounded, including Elaine Dang, a University of California, Berkeley, graduate. 
 
 Dang worked as the general manager for Eat Out Kenya, which confirmed her injuries on its Twitter and Facebook pages. 
 
 A State Department spokeswoman said Sunday there were five Americans among the injured, but none among the dead. 
 
 "Obviously it's an enormous offense against everybody's sense of right and wrong," said Secretary of State John Kerry. "It represents the seriousness and the breadth of the challenge we face with ruthless and completely reckless terrorists, and we're going to pursue them." 
 
 The U.S. Embassy asked personnel to stay in place Sunday and avoid the Westgate Mall area and any large gatherings. All U.S. citizens in Kenya were urged to register online so the embassy can provide them with updated information on travel and security -- and can contact them in case of emergency. 
 
 Israel's Foreign Ministry said one national was slightly wounded and three escaped. A cafe at the mall is owned by an Israeli, but the ministry does not believe the mall was targeted because of that. 
 
 The Ghana president's office said literary figure Kofi Awoonor was among those killed in the attack. 
 
 "Such a sad twist of fate to place Prof at the wrong place at the wrong time," President John Mahama said in a statement. ||||| Kenyan security forces launched a "major" assault late Sunday on the upscale Nairobi mall where an unknown number of hostages are being held by al-Qaida-linked militants, in an operation officials said would end the two-day standoff that had already killed 68 people. 
 
 Relatives help a woman at the Nairobi City Mortuary after she identified the body of a victim of the mall attack in Kenya, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013. Kenyan authorities said Islamic extremist attackers... (Associated Press) 
 
 Groups of onlookers gather on a road looking down over the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013. Multiple barrages of gunfire erupted Sunday morning from the upscale Kenyan mall where... (Associated Press) 
 
 Relatives gather at Nairobi City Mortuary following the mall attack in Kenya, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013. Kenyan authorities said Islamic extremist attackers remain inside the upscale Kenyan shopping mall,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Kenya security personnel move to their positions as others stand guard outside a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013. Kenya authorities said Islamic extremist attackers remain inside... (Associated Press) 
 
 Soldiers from the Kenya Defense Forces carry a wounded colleague, following the sound of explosions and gunfire, out of the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013. Associated Press journalists... (Associated Press) 
 
 Relatives wait at the Nairobi City Mortuary following the mall attack in Kenya, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013. Kenyan authorities said Islamic extremist attackers remain inside the upscale Kenyan shopping mall,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Trucks of soldiers from the Kenya Defense Forces arrive after dawn outside the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013. Islamic extremist gunmen lobbed grenades and fired assault rifles... (Associated Press) 
 
 Relatives help a woman at the Nairobi City Mortuary on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013, after she identified the body of a victim of the Saturday attack at a mall in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenyan authorities said Islamic... (Associated Press) 
 
 Trucks of soldiers from the Kenya Defense Forces arrive after dawn outside the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013. Islamic extremist gunmen lobbed grenades and fired assault rifles... (Associated Press) 
 
 A line of soldiers from the Kenya Defense Forces run in front of the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013. Multiple barrages of gunfire erupted Sunday morning from the upscale Kenyan... (Associated Press) 
 
 The assault, which began shortly before sun down, came as two helicopters circled the mall, with one skimming very close to the roof. A loud explosion rang, far larger than any previous grenade blast or gunfire volley. 
 
 Kenyan police said on Twitter that a "MAJOR" assault by security forces was ongoing to end the two-day siege. 
 
 "This will end tonight. Our forces will prevail. Kenyans are standing firm against aggression, and we will win," Kenya's Disaster Operations Centre said on Twitter. 
 
 The assault came about 30 hours after 10 to 15 al-Shabab extremists stormed the mall from two sides, throwing grenades and firing on civilians at will. 
 
 Loud exchanges of gunfire emanated from inside the four-story upscale mall, throughout the day Sunday. Kenyan troops were seen carrying in at least two rocket propelled grenades and helicopters hovered throughout the day. Al-Shabab militants reacted angrily to the helicopters on Twitter and said the Kenyan military action was endangering hostages. 
 
 Kenyan officials said they would do their utmost to save hostages lives, but no officials could say precisely how many hostages were inside. Kenya's Red Cross said in a statement citing police that 49 people had been reported missing. Officials did not make an explicit link but that number could form the basis of the number of people held captive. 
 
 Somalia's al-Qaida-linked rebel group, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack that specifically targeted non-Muslims. The attackers included some women. The Islamic extremist rebels said the attack was retribution for Kenyan forces' 2011 push into neighboring Somalia. 
 
 Al-Shabab said on its new Twitter feed _ after its previous one was shut down on Saturday _ that Kenyan officials were asking the hostage-takers to negotiate and offering incentives. 
 
 "We'll not negotiate with the Kenyan govt as long as its forces are invading our country, so reap the bitter fruits of your harvest," al-Shabab said in a tweet. 
 
 Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta reiterated his government's determination to continue fighting al-Shabab. 
 
 "We went as a nation into Somalia to help stabilize the country and most importantly to fight terror that had been unleashed on Kenya and the world," said Kenyatta."We shall not relent on the war on terror." 
 
 He said although this violent attack had succeeded, the Kenyan security forces had "neutralized" many others. 
 
 Earlier in the day Kenyatta said he his nephew and his nephew's fiance were killed in the attack. 
 
 Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga told reporters at the mall that a number of people were being held hostage on the third floor and the basement area of the mall, which includes stores for Nike, Adidas and Bose stores. 
 
 Kenyan security officials sought to reassure the families of hostages inside but implied that hostages could be killed. The security operation is "delicate" because Kenyan forces hoped to ensure the hostages are evacuated safely, said Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Lenku. 
 
 "The priority is to save as many lives as possible," Lenku said, adding that more than 1,000 people escaped the attack inside the mall on Saturday. 
 
 "We have received a lot of messages from friendly countries, but for now it remains our operation," Lenku said. 
 
 More than 175 people were injured in the attack, Lenku said, including many children. Kenyan forces were by Sunday in control of the mall's security cameras, he said. 
 
 Britain's prime minister, in confirming the deaths of three British nationals, told the country to "prepare ourselves for further bad news." 
 
 Westgate Mall is at least partially owned by Israelis, and reports circulated that Israeli commandos were on the ground to assist in the response. Four restaurants inside the mall are Israeli-run or owned. 
 
 In Israel, a senior defense official said there were no Israeli forces participating in an assault, but the official said it was possible that Israeli advisers were providing assistance. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing a classified military issue, would not elaborate. 
 
 Israel has close ties to Kenya going back many years. And in recent years, Israel has identified East Africa as an area of strategic interest and stepped up ties with Kenya and other neighboring countries, due to shared threats posed by al-Qaida and other extremist elements. In 2002, militants bombed an Israeli-owned luxury hotel near Mombasa, killing 13 people, and tried to shoot down an Israeli airliner at the same time. 
 
 Kenyans and foreigners were among those confirmed dead, including British, French, Canadians, Indians, a Ghanaian, a South African and a Chinese woman. 
 
 Kofi Awoonor, a Ghanaian poet, professor and former ambassador to Brazil, Cuba and the United Nations, died after being injured in the attack, Ghana's presidential office confirmed. Ghana's ministry of information said Awoonor's son was injured and is responding to treatment. 
 
 Kenya's Red Cross said the death toll on Sunday rose to 68 after nine bodies were recovered in a joint rescue mission. 
 
 Kenya's presidential office said that one of the attackers was arrested on Saturday and died after suffering from bullet wounds. 
 
 Britain's Foreign Office said that Foreign Secretary William Hague has chaired a meeting of Britain's crisis committee and sent a rapid deployment team from London to Nairobi to provide extra consular support. 
 
 The United Nations Security Council condemned the attacks and "expressed their solidarity with the people and Government of Kenya" in a statement. 
 
 There was some good news on Sunday, as Kenyan media reported that several people in hiding in the mall escaped to safety in the morning, suggesting that not everyone who was inside overnight was being held by al-Shabab. 
 
 Cecile Ndwiga said she had been hiding under a car in the basement parking garage. 
 
 "I called my husband to ask the soldiers to come and rescue me. Because I couldn't just walk out anyhow. The shootout was all over here _ left, right_ just gun shots," she said. 
 
 Police lobbed multiple rounds of tear gas throughout the day at hundreds of curious Kenyans who gathered near the mall. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press reporters Jacob Kushner in Nairobi, Kenya; Josef Federman in Jerusalem; Louise Watt in Beijing; and Cassandra Vinograd in London contributed to this report. ||||| NAIROBI Kenya said its security forces were in control of most of the Nairobi shopping mall where at least 68 people were killed by Somali al Shabaab Islamists, but gunmen still appeared to be holding hostages as the siege entered its third day on Monday. 
 
 Referring to an operation under way since early on Sunday, following the storming of the upmarket Westgate mall at lunchtime the previous day, a military spokesman said most of those who had been in the complex were now free. 
 
 He made no mention of killing or capturing militants but said commanders hoped to end the operation "very, very soon". Reuters journalists outside the mall heard only very occasional gunfire and an explosion. There was no clear word on the fate of people said to be held by a dozen or so gunmen in a supermarket. 
 
 Al Shabaab in Somalia said its fighters were demanding Kenya pull out troops from its northern neighbor, where they have put the al Qaeda-affiliated group on the defensive in the past two years. 
 
 "Most of the hostages have been released, and the Kenya Defence Forces has taken control of most parts of the building," Colonel Cyrus Oguna told local station KTN, giving no details. He told Britain's Sky News late on Sunday: "A large number of hostages have been rescued since this morning." 
 
 Earlier, as people continued to emerge from hiding while troops and police moved to secure the sprawling complex, officials said concern now focused on a large supermarket where Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said 10 to 15 guerrillas, some possibly women, were holding an unspecified number of people. 
 
 Kenyatta declined to comment on whether captives there had been wired up to explosives. 
 
 Survivors' tales of Saturday's military-style, lunchtime assault by squads of gunmen hurling grenades and spraying automatic fire, left little doubt the hostage-takers are willing to kill. Previous such raids around the world suggest they may also be ready to die with their captives. 
 
 Military spokesman Oguna said the government's position was clear: "We will not negotiate with terrorists." 
 
 It was unclear how many may be held by the guerrillas barricaded in the supermarket. A Kenyan TV station said it might be 30. A number of escapes on Sunday, by survivors who had spent up to a full day hiding in terror, suggested some people may be trapped but not captive. 
 
 Kenyatta, who himself lost a nephew in the killing, vowed to hold firm in what he called the "war on terror" in Somalia and said, cautiously, that Kenyan forces could end the siege. 
 
 "I assure Kenyans that we have as good a chance to successfully neutralize the terrorists as we can hope for," he said. Adding that more than 175 people were wounded, he pledged: "We will punish the masterminds swiftly and painfully." 
 
 But a military spokesman for al Shabaab told Reuters his group had nothing to fear. "Where will Uhuru Kenyatta get the power with which he threatened us?" said Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab. 
 
 SIEGE 
 
 It was unclear who the assailants were. Al Shabaab - the name means "The Lads" in Arabic - has thousands of Somali fighters but has also attracted foreigners to fight against Western and African Union efforts to establish stable government. 
 
 With the stocks of a major supermarket at their disposal - the Nakumatt store is part of one of Kenya's biggest chains - the gunmen could be in a position to hold on for a long time. 
 
 British Prime Minister David Cameron, confirming that at least three Britons were already among the dead, said: "We should prepare ourselves for further bad news." 
 
 U.S. President Barack Obama called Kenyatta to offer condolences and support. Officials in Israel, whose citizens own several stores in the mall and have been targeted by Islamists in Kenya before, said Israeli experts were also advising Kenyan forces. 
 
 Foreigners including a French mother and daughter and two diplomats, from Canada and Ghana, were killed. The Ghanaian, Kofi Awoonor, was also a renowned poet. Other victims came from China and the Netherlands. Five Americans were wounded. 
 
 Scores of Kenyans gathered on Sunday at a site overlooking the mall, awaiting what they expected to be a violent denouement. "They entered through blood, that's how they'll leave," said Jonathan Maungo, a private security guard. 
 
 Kenya's president, son of post-colonial leader Jomo Kenyatta, is facing his first major security challenge since being elected in March. He urged Western governments not to warn their tourists off visiting a country that needs their money. 
 
 The assault was the biggest single attack in Kenya since al Qaeda's East Africa cell bombed the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi in 1998, killing more than 200 people. 
 
 WARFARE 
 
 Al Shabaab's siege underlined its ability to cause major disruptions with relatively limited resources, even after Kenyan and other African troops drove it from Somali cities. 
 
 "While the group has grown considerably weaker in terms of being able to wage a conventional war, it is now ever more capable of carrying out asymmetric warfare," said Abdi Aynte, director of Mogadishu's Heritage Institute of Policy Studies. 
 
 The dead in Saturday's assault included children, and the wounded ranged in age from 2 to 78. More than 1,000 people were evacuated by security forces combing the mall, littered with shattered glass and pools of blood. 
 
 After emerging on Sunday morning from a hiding place under a vehicle in the basement car park, a woman, giving her name as Cecilia, told Reuters by telephone she had seen three of the attackers. 
 
 "They were shooting from the exit ramp, shooting everywhere," she said. "I saw people being shot all around me, some with blood pouring from bad wounds. I was just praying, praying 'God, keep me alive' and that my day hadn't come." 
 
 Witnesses said the attackers had AK-47 rifles and wore ammunition belts. One militant was shot and arrested early on in the siege, but died shortly afterwards. 
 
 For hours after the attack, the dead were strewn around tables of unfinished meals. At one burger restaurant, a man and woman lay in a final embrace, until their bodies were removed. 
 
 Kenya sent troops into Somalia in October 2011 to pursue militants whom it accused of kidnapping tourists and attacking its security forces. 
 
 Al Shabaab's last big attack outside Somalia was a twin assault in nearby Uganda, targeting people watching the World Cup final on television in Kampala in 2010, killing 77 people. 
 
 (Additional reporting by Edmund Blair, Richard Lough Drazen Jorgic, Humphrey Malalo and Kevin Mwanza in Nairobi, Pascal Fletcher in Johannesburg, Feisal Omar and Abdi Sheikh in Mogadishu; Writing by Edmund Blair and Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Eric Beech) ||||| President Obama called the leader of Kenya on Sunday to express sympathy over the horrific terrorist attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi. 
 
 The White House statement: 
 
 "President Obama called President (Uhuru) Kenyatta of Kenya this morning to express condolences to the government and people of Kenya for the terrorist attack carried out by al-Shabaab yesterday on the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi. 
 
 "President Obama reiterated U.S. support for Kenya's efforts to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice. 
 
 "The President also reaffirmed the strong and historic partnership between the United States and Kenya as well as our shared commitment to combating terrorism and promoting peace and prosperity in East Africa and around the world." ||||| This morning on "This Week," Rep. Peter King told Martha Raddatz that the attack yesterday on an upscale mall in Nairobi, Kenya that left 59 people dead and nearly 200 wounded was "very sophisticated" and shows the ongoing ability of al Qaeda and its affiliates to inflict terror. 
 
 "This is a particularly brutal attack and it almost seems as if the terror world is coming full cycle. Because one of the first major attacks that we recall against the United States was the attacks on the embassies back in 1998 and now we have 15 year later a massacre," King said on "This Week." "Really a well coordinated, well planned, horrific massacre. They attacked at the busiest time of the week, the busiest time of the day. They knew what they were doing, they took the hostages." 
 
 "So this is again very similar to Mumbai, and showing that al Qaeda and its affiliates are still extremely powerful and still able to really strike terror into the hearts of people," King added. "Attacking at a shopping mall, that has no military significance at all, this is clearly an attack to terrorize and murder innocent civilians. And if the reports are true that they're allowing Muslims to leave and focusing on non-Muslims, again they're making this part of their jihadist war." 
 
 King said "all indicators" point toward the Somali-based terrorist group al-Shabab - which has claimed responsibility - having carried out the attack, adding that the group has actively recruited in the U.S. 
 
 "It's an extremely deadly organization, very well trained. And it's one of the only al Qaeda affiliates which actually has actively recruited here in the United States," King said. "There is at least 40 to 50 Somali-Americans who have gone from the United States to Somalia to be trained. A number of them have been killed but there's others still alive. So I would assume that the FBI and local law enforcement are looking into those Somali-American communities today, any leads or indicators, using all their sources and resources to make sure that there is no follow up attempt here in the United States." 
 
 ABC News 
 
 King said he had not heard whether or not Somali Americans were involved in the attack on the Westgate mall in Nairobi, but said the attack shows the "growing influence" of al Qaeda in Africa. 
 
 "We know there's probably still 15-20 Somali Americans who are still active over there. The concern would be if any of them have come back to the United States and would use those abilities here in the United States," King said. "This shows, I think, the really growing influence of al Qaeda in Africa. We have al-Shabab now in Somalia going off into Kenya, carrying out an attack outside of its own country. For years the State Department did not want to declare al-Shabab a terrorist organization because they thought it was just focusing on tribal issues within Somalia." 
 
 "Now we see by attacking Kenya, they certainly have an international dimension to them," King added. "You also have Boko Haram in Nigeria and also you have al-Shabab working closely with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen. We're talking about very significant terrorist groups here which are showing a capacity to attack outside their borders and actually recruit people from here in the United States." 
 
 Asked about implications for the U.S. homeland, a senior law enforcement official told ABC News that U.S. intelligence shows no heightened threat to the United States as a result of the Nairobi attack. 
 
 In fact, the official said, the latest analysis indicates al-Shabab is focused on actions in East Africa and does not have the capability to strike inside the United States, even if it had the desire to do so. 
 
 In an exit interview with ABC News' Pierre Thomas earlier this month, recently departed FBI director Robert Mueller said the threat emanating from Somalia had "died down somewhat." 
 
 ABC's Mike Levine contributed to this story 
 
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– The death toll in the deadly attack on Nairobi's Westgate mall has risen to 68, according to the Red Cross, after the bodies of nine hostages were recovered today. Red Cross volunteers believe there are more bodies still inside the mall, but they're not reachable at the moment, Reuters reports. Kenyan government sources say there are about 30 hostages still being held inside the mall by gunmen believed to be al-Shabaab militants, reports CNN. Security forces say they have just launched a "major" assault on the mall, and plan to bring an end to the standoff tonight, the AP reports. "Our forces will prevail," Kenya's Disaster Operations Centre tweeted. "Kenyans are standing firm against aggression, and we will win." In related news Stateside, Rep. Peter King, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, claimed on ABC's This Week show this morning that al-Shabaab had recruited up to 50 members from Somali communities in the US, with between 15 and 20 of those people still active in the group "I would assume that the FBI and local law enforcement are looking into those Somali-American communities today ... to make sure that there is no follow up attempt here in the United States," he said. Meanwhile, President Obama has called Kenyan President Kenyatta to express his condolences, and offer US support for bringing the attackers to justice, USA Today reports.