Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said Wednesday that all Islamists who had stormed an upmarket hotel complex had been "eliminated" after an almost 20-hour siege that left at least 14 dead. "I can confirm that... the security operation at Dusit complex is over and all the terrorists eliminated," Kenyatta said in a televised address to the nation.

"As of this moment, we have confirmation that 14 innocent lives were lost to the... terrorists, with others injured." Police sources and a mortuary official had previously reported 15 dead. Kenyatta said 700 civilians had been rescued throughout the siege, but did not clarify if people were still hiding in the complex. It was not immediately clear how many attackers there were in total.