Kenya Army chief says troops looted `massacre mall` to ensure goods` safety

Johannesburg: Kenya`s Army chief has said his troops took goods from Nairobi`s Westgate Mall during last month`s massacre to ensure goods` safety.

General Julius Karangi explained to a parliamentary committee, which is investigating the four-day mall siege that claimed 67 lives, that army personnel did not loot, and that they took drinks from the shelves of the supermarket only to quench their thirst, News24 reports. Several business owners at the Westgate Mall said they had locked their premises before escaping, but found them ransacked after being allowed back once the siege was over. Owners of a jewellery store and other electronic stores said their shops were completely looted. According to the report, security camera footage from the mall shows soldiers carrying white plastic bags out of the supermarket after the siege.