Nairobi Siege Over

Media reports coming out of Nairobi say President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced that the Westgate Mall siege is over.

In making the announcement, President Kenyatta - who himself lost family members in the attack - declared three days of national mourning, beginning tomorrow (Wednesday).

Five of the attackers are dead, and 11 are in custody. The death count of victims in the mall is still unclear, but it looks like about 67 people were murdered, with 175 wounded (62 people are still in hospital).

The "mopping up" operation has begun, and bodies of additional victims may yet be found in the rubble of the collapsed floors of the shopping center.

A good personal account of the tragedy was published today in The New York Times. It's worth a look: "Those Are Our People."

Our friends Nerisa and Charles and their families are all safe. I've spoken with both of them, and while they are very relieved, they - like all Kenyans - are concerned about what might happen next. We continue to keep them in our thoughts and hope that the awful experiences of the last four days will not change the beautiful character of the Kenyan people, whom we love so much.