A girl is helped by police officers inside the Westgate Mall in Nairobi where 59 people are reported killed during Saturday’s terrorist attack. Please click on next image, see below, for a slide show at the Denver Post website. Viewer discretion is advised as some of the images are disturbing. Links are also provided to the websites of Al-Jazeera and the Washington Post.
Editor’s note: Please also click on the Comments link at top left of this post. They include updates about the dead victims and the injured.
Kenya’s grief is our grief. The unimaginable and unthinkable has happened in Nairobi, where dozens of people, including Canadians, are dead or injured in a brutal attack against civilians in a mall. The victims included children. The latest reports indicate that at least 59 people were killed and 175 injured in Saturday’s incident.
We feel as if humanity has been taken in its entirety. The preceding statement has its basis in the Holy Qur’an, which speaks about the sanctity of life (see quote by His Highness the Aga Khan on the Simerg banner at top of this page). Lost lives and injuries are even more difficult to bear and accept when they involve children, as in this incident that has wounded the entire world.
At this time, our prayers and thoughts are for the people of Kenya, and especially for the families who are grieving from this senseless and unjustifiable act. We pray for the souls of the deceased, and wish all the injured quick and complete recovery. We ask the Kenyan people to be courageous and vigilant in the wake of these despicable and cowardly acts.
In a written statement released on Saturday evening, Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper said:
“Canada condemns in the strongest possible terms this cowardly, hateful act that apparently targeted innocent civilians who were simply out shopping. Terrorist attacks like this seek to undermine the very values and way of life that Canadians cherish….The hearts and prayers of all Canadians go out to the families and friends of all those affected by this senseless tragedy, and we extend our deepest condolences to those suffering the loss of Annemarie Desloges, one of our diplomats who has died in the attack.”
The tragedy is receiving extensive coverage from around the word, and we warn readers that some of the more than 50 images posted at The Denver Post (see link below or click on image) and other websites are quite disturbing and shocking. Readers may express their grief and convey their condolences by clicking on the comments icon at the top left of this page.
An injured person is brought to the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi after an attack at a mall in the Kenyan capital. Please click for a slide show and photos at the Denver Post.
Other external website links:
1. Al-Jazeera – Killing Spree in Nairobi
2. The Washington Post – Attack in Shopping Mall in Nairobi
Simerg - Insights from Around the World 