Hats off for the true heroes, heroines in Westgate Mall attack

The sound of gunfire was deafening. The stench of human flesh and blood filled the air. Duty had called but there was imminent danger.

No doubt, the most obvious price for answering this call of duty would be death by the bullet. But for the true heroes and heroines of the Westgate Mall attack, that price was worth paying in the most daring determination to save lives.

The horrific events of September 21, 2013 brought out the selfless spirit of a fresh breed of men and women who refused to be cowed or petrified. They took bullet after bullet and some refused to die. Others paid the ultimate price in their determination to save hundreds of children and women from the jaws of death. And even as the gallant officers saw their colleagues fall to enemy fire, they pushed forward to fight, kill or die for the helpless shoppers trapped in the mall by merchants of death.

Besides the police officers, reservists and soldiers drawn from several units of the Kenya Defence Forces, there were also relief and rescue individuals and teams led by the Kenya Red Cross. There were also foreign actors in the rescue operation including two British ex-special forces officers who rushed into the mall and saved close to 100 shoppers.

Many of the heroes stormed the mall in casual wear and without any protective device, not even a bullet proof vest. Some had ordinary pistols but they were brave enough to wage war against the terrorists on a killing spree using machine guns and other sophisticated weapons.

Hail of bullets

The possibility of dying under the hail of bullets was real, but the spirit of the heroes and heroines was stronger than the threat of death.

And when the sound of gunfire died out, more than 67 bodies lay on the mall hallways and shops. When the final count of the bodies was done, the numbers made the attack the worst terrorist activity on Kenyan soil since the 1998 US embassy bombing. Hundreds more were injured. And some of the surviving heroes endured the worst. One was shot 15 times. One lost three fingers. And another nearly had his stomach blown off.

For a hero, Ali Miraji, a GSU officer, was at the right place at the right time. For cowards, it would have been a situation of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Miraji was guarding a bank on the ground floor of Westgate Mall when he heard gunshots and saw the attackers. He responded quickly, becoming the first security officer to engage the attackers inside the mall.

Flying Squad officer Nura Ali was having lunch at a restaurant in Buru Buru when the call came in. He and his team of three officers dropped their food and maneuvered through the tormenting traffic jam in the city to get to Westgate.

Fire exchange

He arrived at Westgate with his colleagues and quickly found himself sucked into the vortex of violence. Armed with an AK47 and a pistol tucked in his waistband, Ali pursued and exchanged fire with the attackers until they shot and immobilised one.

The first bullet struck his stomach and left him hanging on to his intestines; indeed fighting to stay alive.

The second struck his leg before a third bullet hit his back. Nura survived the ordeal and summoned every drop of energy left in him to return to his wife and seven children.

Chief Inspector Stephen Lelei was at Kabete Police Station when he heard the radio chatter about Westgate. He got three officers into the police patrol car and drove towards Westgate.

In his haste to get to the epicenter of the action, Inspector Lelei ordered his driver to take the passenger’s seat as he took control of the vehicle. And at breathtaking speed, he drove to Westgate Mall.

He took cover behind pillars and engaged the attackers. Three hours later, he run out of ammunition, sneaked out of the mall and found an abandoned AK47. He pulled out the magazine, re-armed and returned to the battlefront. Later, as he left the mall, he realised he had been shot in the leg.

Harish Rabadia, Vinay Savani and Abdul Haji were reservists who stumbled on the terror attack purely by accident.

Within no time, they were right in the middle of cross hairs of flying bullets and screaming victims. They worked feverishly to save hundreds of shoppers and escort them out of the mall.

Moses Emojong had just returned from a long trip in Isiolo when he got the call that morning. He raced into Westgate and amazingly survived 15 gunshots, all piercing different parts of his body.

Lazarus Kimeu and Daniel Odhiambo were on the beat, when their police radio alerted them to the unfolding events in Westgate. They responded with bravado, without any protective gear and sprung into the battlefield. There were other heroes whose faces and true identity we will not publish for security reasons. They include two retired SAS British Special Forces officers. Sources reveal that both were formerly in the Royal Marine and currently reside in Kenya.

The British military are known to regularly train and operate out of Kenya, and have been involved in tracking UK citizens involved with hardline Islamists in Somalia and Yemen.

Former members of the service work with both the UK and Kenyan governments. They are hired by security firms across East Africa and the region. One of the former soldiers is reported to have returned into Westgate a dozen times on his mission to save lives.

A friend of the soldier told a British newspaper: “What he did was so heroic. He was having coffee with friends when it happened. He went back in 12 times and saved 100 people. Imagine going back in when you knew what was going on inside.”

The different security agencies who engaged the attackers slowed down their progress, provided resistance and prevented a worse blood bath. Were it not for the sacrifices of these selfless heroes and heroines, security analysts content that the death toll could have been far much higher.

To all these men, and indeed women, who answered the call of duty and leapt into the den of fire, the words in the Maria Carey’s song “Hero” are their portion: