they removed al-shabab from a large force of income, the port city of kismayo. they had a loss of income. they made al-shabab - their forces - make them more vulnerable to the african union forces. the al-shabab has suffered a lot from the attacks of the kenya kenyans - they have been efficient in fighting them. the question is why the attack came late. the al-shabab have been hostile to the kenyans for a while. one reason might be that kenya's stay in somalia gained a lot of controversy because they are engaged in supporting the self-governance rule in the port city of kismayo, which at times has been at rivalry with the government. this is hurting the kenyans, it's well planned. they are trying to hit kenya where it hurts, scaring away foreigners. westgate is a center where communists, tourists, workers in the united nations and diplomats frequent. by gaining a lot of attention, by doing this, they can hurt the most white or white of sectors in the kenyan economy - which is tourists. we see people discussing whether nairobi is a dangerous community and if keny

it was a kenyan operation that seized kismayo, a main source of revenue, doing the most damage in recent years. the organization split and the hard core headed by the intelligence and count counterintelligence, clearly wants to demonstrate that it's relevant. >> both inside somalia, but i think probably will be a lesson for kenya and to strategies how to deal with home grown groups. >> mexico has been affected by two storms. entire villages have been covered in land and rocks. villages will be rebuilt in safer locations. >> translation: we had train throughout the country. unfortunately some areas are more affected. what happened in some areas is terrible. with the number of family deaths and the way in which it happens. >> a typhoon usagi made land fall in hong kong. >> it caused landslides in taiwan. most of hong kong may have been spared. >> we have the latest. >> the al jazeera studio is on the water front in hong kong and the wind is ratting, whistling around the building. not a direct hit, not so far. it made landfall 20km to the north-east of hong kong. it moved slightly inland. i

it lost most of its hold on somalia, including mogadishu, and the key port of kismayo, by a campaign launched by african union troops. the attack on the mall was the worst terrorist attack in nairobi since the embassy bombing in 1998, killing more than 200. president obama telephoned kenya's president, uhuru kenyetta. confirming their partnership. >> many of us lost loved ones. >> the president revealing his nephew and his partner were killed. >> let's mourn them as one nation, keeping them in our memory and prayer. >> joining me now from washington d.c. is ambassador david shipp, the former top american diplomat in ethiopia, and a professor at washington university, and richard miniter, a terrorism expert and author. >> kenya's military played a major roll forcing al-shabab's fighters out of the somalian cities. given that, does it come as a surprise they were strong enough to pull off the westgate mall nightmare? >> it does not come as a surprise. the surprise is it did not happen earlier. >> al-shabab has been threatening to pull off a major strike like this for the last two years