NAIROBI, Kenya - The siege at Nairobi's Westgate Mall entered its fourth day Tuesday, despite assurances from the Kenyan government that it was "in control" of the four-story complex.
Throughout the day today, sporadic explosions and gunshots could be heard - and there are reports that as many as three militants were still holed up inside.
Workers at Nairobi's main morgue were preparing to receive many more bodies retrieved from inside the mall as the military operation to end the siege continued, according to the Associated Press.
Llittle is known about the gunmen so far, but the Somalia-based Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in which at least 62 have been killed.
Speaking to PBS NewsHour Monday, Kenyan Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed said there were "two of three Americans" and a British woman among the 10-15 assailants. Kenyan authorities said six of the attackers had been killed.
The brazen assault - which is the worst terrorist incident in Kenya since the 1998 US embassy bombing - suggests Al Shabaab is no longer on the back foot, and raised questions about Kenya's ability to defend itself against Islamist militants.
Kenya contributes roughly 4,000 troops to the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, and Al Shabaab spokesmen have referenced their presence in Somalia as the reason for the attack.
"The attack is a clear statement of intent [to carry out an international attack] and capacity," said Cedric Barnes, Nairobi-based Horn of Africa director at the International Crisis Group think tank in Brussels.
Somalia's government, which struggles to control the capital Mogadishu, insists the group is defeated following a push from African Union peacekeepers, including Kenyan troops, to rout Al Shabaab from certain strongholds.
At various times since 2006, the group has ruled over large swathes of the country.
But "this weekend's attack on the Westgate Mall is an example of the deadly toll exacted by premature proclamations of ‘victory', which result in the failure to devote adequate resources to actually truly finishing the task, to say nothing of letting one's guard down," J. Peter Pham, director of the Africa Center at the New York-based Atlantic Council, said in an email.
Pham said the group's capacity may be diminished, but they are not defeated. A United Nations report published in July described Al Shabaab as "arguably intact in terms of operational readiness, chain of command, discipline and communication capabilities" despite recent military setbacks.
Al Shabaab emerged in 2006 as the armed wing of the Islamic Courts Union, a grassroots organization aimed at establishing Sharia law. The ICU ruled Somalia for just a few months until US-backed troops from neighboring Ethiopia chased the group out.
In recent months, Al Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, also known as Abu Zubeyr, strengthened his grip on the organization and had internal rivals and dissidents killed.
Born in the breakaway region of Somaliland in 1977, Godane fought against Russian troops in Afghanistan and assumed his position as Al Shabaab leader in 2008. His predecessor was killed in a US air strike.
Godane strengthened Al Shabaab's ties with Al Qaeda, pledging allegiance to the transnational terrorist outfit in 2012, the same year the US placed a $7 million bounty on his head.
