Kenyan officials say an operation to end the terrorist hostage taking has started and that the standoff would end tonight.

The gunmen, believed to be Somali Islamic extremists, are holding an unknown number of hostages.

Kenya’s president had said they would not get away with what he calls their ”despicable and beastly acts”.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the Nairobi mall attack has risen to 68.

Nine more bodies have been recovered.

Two of the victims are Canadians.

One was, Annemarie Desloge, a diplomat at the Canadian High Commission in Nairobi.

More than 175 were wounded.