Kenyan special forces are continuing to clear a shopping centre where gunmen have killed at least 62 people.
All hostages trapped by the attackers have been evacuated from the Nairobi complex and the three-day-long siege was nearing its end, Manoah Esipisu said.
But he cautioned that some of the insurgents could still be hiding after up to 15 of them stormed the building on Saturday in a grenade and gun attack targeting terrified shoppers.
Troops have been combing the building overnight, going from floor to floor looking for "anyone left behind", said the interior ministry, adding its forces were "in control" of the Westgate mall.
The gunmen were believed to be members of al Qaeda-linked Somali militant group al Shabaab which said the assault was in retaliation for Kenya's military helping the government in Mogadishu.
Kenya's Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed said a British woman and "two or three Americans" were among the militants.
Victims: Ross Langdon, Eliv Yavus and eight-year-old Jenah Bawa Six British nationals are believed to have been killed in the terror attack. Among the dead were eight-year-old Jenah Bawa and 33-year-old Ross Langdon.
Almost 200 people were hurt in the attack, and 63 others had been recorded missing by the Red Cross - a figure thought to include hostages as well as those possibly killed.
Mr Esipisu said: "Our special forces are inside the building checking the rooms. Obviously it's a very, very big building.
"We think that everyone, the hostages, have been evacuated but we don't want to take any chances. The special forces are doing their job and yes, I think we are near the end."
He also told AFP: "The special forces call this sanitising. It's a very complex and very delicate operation.
Smoke is seen rising from the shopping centre "At the moment they have not met any resistance, but of course we are not ruling out the possibility that there are a couple of them hiding in a remote room or corner."
Earlier, Islamist militants were reported to be "running and hiding" in stores as security forces closed in.
Kenyan police said three terrorists had been killed and others were hurt after the military launched a major assault.
Eleven soldiers from the Kenyan Defence Force were wounded in the fighting, and more than 10 people have been arrested over Saturday's attack.
Interior minister Joseph Ole Lenku said there was "no way out" for the militants and "no room for escape".
Around lunchtime on Monday, four huge explosions were heard followed by a barrage of gunfire at the shopping complex in the Kenyan capital.
Black smoke poured from the top of the building as troops lay siege to the mall while military and police helicopters circled above.
Police and volunteers react after hearing gunshots Security officials at the scene said the explosions had been caused by Kenyan forces who set off blasts to get in through the roof.
However, Mr Lenku said the smoke had been down to the al Shabaab fighters setting fire to mattresses as a decoy.
The atrocity is the worst in Nairobi since an al Qaeda bomb attack on the US embassy in 1998 that killed more than 200 people.
The Kenyan Red Cross has set up a webpage for anyone worried about friends or relatives who might be caught up in the siege.
:: A helpline has been set up for people in the UK who are concerned about relatives in Kenya: 020 7008 000.
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