Kenyan special forces were today locked in a fight to the death with Islamic terrorists who have been barricaded inside a Nairobi mall with up to 40 hostages since Saturday.

Witnesses described hearing four large explosions at the Westgate Shopping Centre followed by the sight of thick plumes of smoke and the sounds of fierce gunfire after the military tried to break the three day siege by gaining access from the roof.

It is feared that some of the gunmen, who are from Al Qaeda affiliated group Al Shabaab, may have blown themselves up, though a Kenyan government minister said that militants had set fire to some mattresses in a supermarket as a decoy.

Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said that two of the terrorists had been killed and that most hostages were now free. All of the militants were men, he added, although some were dressed as women. 'We think the operation will come to an end soon', he said. 'We are in control of all the floors, the terrorists are running and hiding in some stores... there is no room for escape'.

The Red Cross has put the death toll at 62 and four Britons have been confirmed dead.. At least 175 were injured, including children.

Briton Ross Langdon, 33, has been confirmed as one of the dead. The award-winning architect, who had dual nationality with Australia, died alongside his heavily pregnant Dutch partner Elif Yavuz. 

She was a a Harvard-educated malaria specialist who worked for the Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation and was just two weeks away from giving birth to her first child. 

The identities of the rest of the dead Britons have not been released. But late last night a British man told The Daily Telegraph that he had lost his wife and daughter and had identified their bodies from photographs shown to him by police. 

As Kenyan soldiers and more armoured personnel carriers descended on the mall, a spokesman for terror group Al Shabaab Ali Mohamud Rage said in a statement posted on an Islamist website that those held inside will 'bear the brunt of any force' used by soldiers against the militants.

The statement read: 'We authorise the mujahedeen inside the building to take actions against the prisoners as much as they are pressed. 

'We are telling Christians advancing onto the mujahedeen to have mercy for their prisoners who will bear the brunt of any force directed against the mujahedeen.'

There were conflicting reports about the identity of the attackers. Al Shabaab claimed on Twitter last night that the group was being led by Samantha Lewthwaite, who was married to Jermaine Lindsay, one of the 7/7 suicide bombers.

Known as the White Widow, she is wanted by Kenyan police over links to a suspected terrorist cell planning bomb attacks.

police chief David Kimaiyo said in a message on Twitter on the third day of the standoff.

A link between Lewthwaite and the Westgate attack was made after soldiers claimed they had seen a white woman in a veil shouting orders to gunman in Arabic. 

Meanwhile, a Twitter account claiming to represent Al Shabaab yesterday claimed that terrorists from seven nations are involved in the attack, including the U.S., Britain and Canada. 

The HSM Press Office account, which has been suspended twice, claimed the group were Ahmed Nasir Shirdoon, 24, from London, UK; Gen Mustafe Noorduiin, 27, from Kansas City, U.S., Abdifatah Osman Keenadiid, 24, from Minneapolis, U.S., and Ahmed Mohamad Isse, 22, from Saint Paul, U.S; Ismael Guled, 23, from Finland; Abdirizak Mouled, 24, from Ontario, Canada; and Zaki Jama Caraale, 20, and Sayid Nuh, 25, both from Somalia. 

A top Kenyan military official said he believes the attackers are 'a multinational collection from all over the world.'

General Julius Karangi said fighters from an array of nations participated in the attack claimed by Al Shabaab, a Somali group allies with al-Qaida. We have an idea who they are, their nationality and even the number.  We are fighting global terrorism here and we have sufficient intel (intelligence) to suggest that.'

As the stand-off entered its third day, sustained bursts of rapid gunfire erupted at dawn and lasted 15 minutes, and soldiers posted around the complex ducked for cover.

This was followed by three big explosions, AFP correspondents at the scene said.

A Kenyan special forces officer said troops had moved in to end the siege with force.

'I saw them only once, I could not see them much," he said. 'It was hide-and-seek, hide-and-seek, hide-and-seek. In the end we had to use full force, we had to finish with these guys.'

Kenya Security personnel take cover outside the Westgate Mall.

Al Shabaab have not said how many people were being held by the dozen-or-so attackers, who marched into the Israeli-owned four-storey complex at midday Saturday, spraying shoppers with machine gunfire and tossing grenades.

One security officer said within half-an-hour of the attack the mall had been turned into 'an abattoir' as gunmen wearing Islamic scarves but Western clothes went on the rampage. 

Police chief David Kimaiyo said today that some hostages have been freed. However, a group claiming to represent the Al Shabaab terrorists said they are still fighting inside the building. 

In a message on Twitter Mr Kimaiyo wrote: 'Thumbs up to our multi-agency team, we have just managed to rescue some hostages. We're increasingly gaining advantage of the attackers.

'I saw them only once, I could not see them much,' he said. 'It was hide-and-seek, hide-and-seek, hide-and-seek. In the end we had to use full force, we had to finish with these guys.'

The HSM Press Office account, which has been suspended twice and claims to have contact with the terrorists inside, wrote today: 'They’ve obtained large amounts of ammunition and are, by the blessings of Allah alone, still firm and still dominating the show #Westgate.'

The attacks have a chilling similarity to those in Mumbai in 2008 where terrorist besieged hotels, community centres and streets in 12 co-ordinated attacks, leaving more than 170 dead. 

Following chairing a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee in Whitehall, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the UK had offered assistance to Kenya. 

He said: 'Cobra met this morning and had an updated assessment of the situation. I can confirm that there is a fourth British national confirmed dead and the next of kin have been informed. 

'We’re in close touch with the Kenyan authorities and we stand ready to provide them with any additional assistance they require.'

'WE ONLY WANT TO KILL KENYANS AND AMERICANS': EXTRAORDINARY ESCAPE OF FRENCH FAMILY

A French woman said she was freed by the Islamic terrorists because they told her they only wanted to kill Kenyans and Americans.

The woman, who only gave her name as Pauline, said she escaped with her two young children, who were given Mars bars by the gunmen.

Pauline said she was asked for forgiveness by the terrorists who told her 'we are not monsters'.

The mother of two, who was in the supermarket when the attack began, said once she agreed Muslims were not 'bad people' they gave her children, Emily, 6, and Eliot, 4, chocolate.

She told The Independent: 'He said we only only want to kill Kenyans and Americans. He then told me I had to change my religion to Islam and said "do you forgive us? do you forgive us?'

She said she was able to escape with another two children, including a wounded 12-year-old boy whose mother had been murdered.

69 DEAD AND 175  INJURED FROM 13 NATIONS: DETAILS OF KENYA TERRORIST ATTACK VICTIMS BEGIN TO EMERGE

KENYA 

President Uhuru Kenyatta's nephew and nephew's fiancee were killed 

GHANA 

Kofi Awoonor, a Ghanaian poet, professor and former ambassador to Brazil, Cuba and the United Nations, died after being wounded in the attack, Ghana's presidential office confirmed. 

Ghana's ministry of information said Awoonor's son was injured and is responding to treatment. 

CANADA 

Two Canadians, including a diplomat, died in the attack, according to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. 

He paid tribute to the victims and noted the loss of diplomat Annemarie Desloges, who served in Canada's High Commission to Kenya as a liaison officer with the Canada Border Services Agency. 

Her spouse Robert Munk was wounded in the attack, but has since been released from the hospital, the Canadian Press reported. 

INDIA 

Two Indians, 8-year-old Parmashu Jain and 40-year-old Sridhar Natarajan, were killed, and four others were wounded in the attack.

BRITAIN 

The Foreign Office have confirmed that four UK nationals have been killed in the attack. 

Prize-winning architect Ross Langdon, who had dual British and Australian citizenship, is believed to be one of the dead. 

A British man, who refused to give his name, said his wife and daughter were both killed in the atrocity. 

The Foreign Office warned the number of British dead is 'likely to rise as further information becomes available.'

FRANCE 

Two French women were killed, President Francois Hollande said. 

SOUTH AFRICA 

One South African citizen was killed, according to the country's International Relations Department. 

THE NETHERLANDS 

A 33-year-old Dutch woman died in the attack, believed to be Elif Yavuz, the heavily pregnant partner of British architect Mr Langdon. 

Seven other Dutch citizens who were in the mall escaped unharmed, Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said. 

CHINA 

A 38-year-old Chinese woman with the surname Zhou who worked in the real estate industry was killed in the attack, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported. Her son was injured in the attack and was in stable condition in a hospital, according to the Chinese Embassy in Kenya. 

PERU 

A retired staff member of UNICEF from Peru was killed, the agency's regional office for Eastern and Southern Africa said. 

U.S. 

Five American citizens were injured, U.S. officials said. 

NEW ZEALAND 

Andrew McLaren, 34, a New Zealander who managed a factory in Kenya for the avocado oil company Olivado, was wounded in the attack, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed. He was hospitalised in stable condition.