Outside Westgate mall, al-Shabab, police battle it out on Twitter

Even as the standoff between Kenyan troops and al-Shabab militants entered its fourth day inside the high end Westgate mall, another proxy war - one on information- was being fought on cyber space. In a new Twitter feed established Tuesday after previous ones were cut off, al-Shabab said the attack that began Saturday and has claimed more than 60 lives so far was “far greater than how the Kenyans perceive it.” [caption id=“attachment_1130537” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Screengrab of the Kenya police Twitter feed[/caption] “There are countless number of dead bodies still scattered inside the mall, and the mujahideen are still holding their ground,” the group claimed. It added that the hostages are “still alive looking quite disconcerted but, nevertheless, alive.” The Kenyan police responded with a Twitter message of its own, urging people to ignore “enemy… propaganda” and assuring that the defense forces were continuing to “neutralize” the terrorist threat. “Troops now in mop up operations in the building,” the police tweeted. “More to follow. Be calm.” The al-Shabab group have been constantly updating their various Twitter feeds with information about their attack, with new accounts being created in place of those being deleted by the microblogging service. A policy report published by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR) had documented al-Shabab’s social media approach in a paper, which can be accessed in its full form here. The paper explained how al-Shabab is using social media to “market” itself to potential followers in other countries in a way that other jihadist groups have not done. The paper explains: “Al-Shabaab has become adept at producing material that provides its Western followers with an alternative to mainstream media. Relying heavily on digital video and Twitter, the group projects an image of itself as an effective and united force carrying out the will of God by implementing Shariah and fighting the enemies of Islam. Twitter has allowed the group to do much of this in real time, offering supporters instant interpretations of events and rebuttals of critiques.” Authorities have said they are involved in a final push to clear out the remaining attackers. But authorities have previously referred to their operations as final. And despite the Kenyan government assurances of success, an explosion and gunfire could be heard coming from the mall at around 6:30 am, followed by the sustained chatter of automatic weapons for about a minute almost three hours later, according to Associated Press reporters at the scene. Security forces carried a body out of the mall, which remained on fire, with flames and smoke visible. A Kenyan soldier wearing bomb disposal protective gear also exited the building. While the government announced Sunday that “most” hostages had been released, a security expert with contacts inside the mall said at least 10 were still being held by a band of attackers described as “a multinational collection from all over the world.” Kenyan Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed said “two or three Americans” and “one Brit” were among those who attacked the mall. Associated Press