Kenyan president says 39 dead in mall attack, will beat terrorists

A Kenyan army soldier takes cover behind a wall at Westgate Shopping Centre in Nairobi September 21, 2013. REUTERS/Noor Khamis

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Saturday that at least 39 people had been killed by "terrorists" in a gun attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi, and pledged that Kenya would hunt down those responsible. "The despicable perpetrators of this cowardly act hoped to intimidate, divide and cause despondency amongst Kenyans," Kenyatta said in a televised address to the nation. "We have overcome terrorist attacks before. We will defeat them again." (Reporting by Richard Lough; Editing by Kevin Liffey)