Death toll in Nairobi terror attack rises to 21, Kenya President says operation 'over'

The death toll in the attack at a luxurious hotel complex in Kenya's capital Nairobi rose to 21 on Wednesday, as authorities confirmed that an American and a British were among those killed.

The attack began on Tuesday by heavily armed terrorists, targetted the DusitD2 compound, an upmarket cluster of shops and hotel facilities in Nairobi.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta officially confirmed that the security operation at the hotel complex was over and all terrorists were "eliminated". "The security operation at Dusit complex is over, and all the terrorists eliminated," he was quoted by CNN as saying.

Kenyatta further said that over 700 people were evacuated safely in the wake of the assault.

According to inspector general of Kenya's national police service Joseph Boinnet, six more bodies were found late on Wednesday, taking the death toll from 15 to 21. He said that 16 Kenyans and one American and British national each was killed in the attack.

About 28 others have been rushed to a hospital for immediate medical treatment, said Boinett.

The attack first took place at a bank inside the hotel complex, where three vehicles were targetted in a blast in the parking lot. It was followed by another suicide explosion in the entrance hall of the hotel, where people sustained serious injuries.

Police and the gunmen were engaged in heavy gunfire, which also saw several people running for their lives at the complex. Security forces escorted the office workers and the injured to safety.

Later, Al-Shabaab, the Somali-based terror group, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.

The group said that it carried out the attack in retaliation to US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last year.