World / Westgate mall Pentagon: Strike Killed Mall Attack Mastermind Death deals 'major blow' to al-Shabab By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Mar 19, 2015 3:09 AM CDT Copied A woman who had been hiding during a gun battle runs for cover after armed police, seen behind, enter the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, Sept. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Jonathan Kalan) The Pentagon has confirmed that a US airstrike last week killed Adan Garar, a senior member of the al-Shabab extremist group who allegedly helped plan the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya, that killed 67 people. The Pentagon, calling Garar "a major threat" and saying his death dealt a significant blow to al-Shabab, said in a brief statement that Garar was killed when a US drone aircraft struck a vehicle in which he was riding in Somalia. (More Westgate mall stories.) Report an error