Pakistan military assault on mosque continues; at least 58 dead UPDATE

Pakistan military assault on mosque continues; at least 58 dead UPDATE

	Published : Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:06 By : Agencies Print this Story

ISLAMABAD,Pakistan (Thomson Financial) - Pakistani troops continued their assault on a pro-Taliban mosque in the heart of Islamabad today, sparking fierce gunbattles which left at least 58 people dead.

After nine hours of heavy fighting, the mosque's main cleric was barricaded in the basement with some women and children, the army said. Militants armed with rocket launchers and machineguns were firing at troops from the minarets.

The military confirmed that it has rescued 27 women and three children, including the wife and daughter of mosque chief Abdul Aziz.

'We rescued them from the militants. There are three children with them. They were taken hostage by the militants but the troops managed to get them out,' chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told reporters.

Earlier several women in burqas and around 30 children escaped from the fortified mosque when the dawn attack began but hundreds are understood to still be inside as soldiers went through the compound's 75 rooms one at a time, facing bitter resistance.

Arshad said around 50 militants and eight soldiers were confirmed dead and at least 15 soldiers were wounded.

Fifty militants surrendered after they were given a final chance during a break in fighting.

President Pervez Musharraf authorised the storming of the mosque after talks with cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who is leading the militants, broke down following an eight-day siege which had itself cost 24 lives.

Ministers have accused Ghazi and his followers, who are said to include foreign fighters and Pakistani insurgents linked to Al-Qaeda, of holding women and children in the mosque as hostages.

Religious Affairs Minister Ijaz-ul Haq told Agence France Presse the negotiations broke down because Ghazi demanded safe passage for 'foreigners.'

Officials have said among the militants are some from the extremist group Harkatul-Jihad-e-Islami, which has been accused of involvement in the murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl and an attempt to kill Musharraf.

Suspected militants tried to shoot down Musharraf's plane on Friday in an incident that officials said was in revenge for the mosque siege.

The shooting dead of three Chinese workers in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Sunday was also said to be a reprisal as ripples spread across the Islamic republic.

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