attack started in pecatoni. thomas evans converted to islam when he was 19 and came to fight alongside al shabaab four years ago. >> thousands of people have come to view the bodies. the air is thick with the stench. the reason the public viewing is going on so people can help in the identification but also to boost public confidence in the ability of security forces to zeal with al shabaab. symon's brother was shot dead during the attack in pecatoni. >> killed our loved ones last year. today we came to see for ourselves and now we go home feeling that we are being protected. >> reporter: government planned to carry out with -- government felt shabaab planned to carry out multiple attacks. >> on going we cannot relent, we can't sleep and we can't even say we are calling off the cooperation. >> esther could not bring herself to view the bodies, instead she came to the memorial plaque put up to honor those who died in last year's attack. her husband for 30 years was found in his car. catherine soy, al jazeera peca

not just here in pecatoni but across the country as well, adrian. >> that begs the question just how threat is it the threat from al shabaab has clearly not gone away. >> absolutely. the threat in al shabaab has not gone away. al shabaab leaders have been saying for the longest time they will keep attack kenya until kenyan troops get out kenyan troops leave somalia. people are asking what is the exit strategy from kenya how will kenya pill pul out pull out its troops from somalia. kenyan troops are going to be there for the long haul. they're saying that the president -- kenya's continued stay in somalia and its pullout will depend on the overall au exit mission there. there have been several astacks adrian since this attack recently 148 people were killed at the gariza university. people also can stand adrian that we have all the al shabaab cells in the country and most of the people who are carrying out the attack happen to the kenyans. >> catherine soy from kenya. >>> interoceanic grand canal will link the atlanta and the pacific oceans. several people in the guigalpa say their ho

one of the dead was a kenyan who also led a series of attacks that started in pecatoni about a year ago. a british national has also been identified. thomas evans converted to islam when he was 15 and came to fight alongside al shabaab 74 years ago. thousands of people have come to view the bodies. the air is thick with a stench. now, the government says the reason the public viewing is going on is so people can help in identification but also to boost public confidence in the ability of security forces to deal with al shabaab. symon's brother was shot zed during the attack, along with seven other men. >> translator: people here did not believe that the government was doing enough to pursue those who killed our loved ones last year. today we came to see four ourselves and now we go home feeling that we are being protected. >> more than 50 gunmen planned to carry out multiple attacks. these are some of their weapons. security forces are pursuing the gunman who escaped into the forest which stretches all the way into somalia. >> situation is ongoing. we cannot relent, we can't sleep and w