More than 50 dead as troops storm Red Mosque

[N.O.R.F]

More than 50 dead as troops storm Red Mosque

 

Declan Walsh in Islamabad

Tuesday July 10, 2007

Guardian Unlimited

 

Fears of large-scale casualties at Islamabad's Red Mosque increased this morning as an all-out assault on the compound by Pakistani security forces moved into its ninth hour.

The official death toll stood at 50 militants and eight soldiers, but in a phone call to a local television station, the mosque's chief cleric, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, said there had been "massive bombing and indiscriminate fire" and that there were "dead bodies everywhere".

 

As frequent loud explosions and occasional bursts of gunfire continued to ring out over the compound - suggesting continued pockets of resistance inside - fleets of ambulances ferried the dead and wounded to local hospitals, where officials said they had treated dozens of injuries.

 

 

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The Pakistani military has kept the media away from the mosque compound itself and local journalists expressed their frustration at being denied access to the hospitals treating casualties. A cameraman for an Arab TV station said a member of the security forces had threatened to shoot him if he didn't leave the hospital he was trying to enter immediately.

The operation to break the bloody week-long siege in central Islamabad began at 4am (0000 BST) when special forces breached the mosque walls amid gunfire and explosions. It was anticipated to last for four hours, but at a press conference about five hours after the assault began, the army spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said 70% of the mosque compound was under the control of security forces, but militants were resisting "using rocket launchers and booby traps".

 

"Those who surrender will be arrested, but the others will be treated as combatants and killed," he said. "Until the whole area has been sanitised, the operation has not ended."

 

Some 41 militants had surrendered during the assault, he added.

 

The attack was led by commandos from the army's special services group - which the president, General Pervez Musharraf, once commanded - supported by thousands of rangers and police.

 

At 6.50am a large explosion was heard across the city and smoke poured from the mosque roof. Television reports said that three commandos had been killed and nine critically injured.

 

Fears focused on the unarmed women and children who have been the focus of concern throughout the siege. The government has alleged that up to 450 women and children are being held hostage by a core of about 60 hardened militants leading the fight.

 

There was much speculation that the militants included foreign fighters with links to al-Qaida and veterans of combat in Afghanistan and Kashmir. Mr Ghazi denied the human shield allegations and claimed that he had many fervent supporters inside the mosque. All preferred to die rather than surrender, he said, and he hoped their deaths would spark an Islamic revolution in Pakistan.

 

The militants had threatened to defend the compound with mass suicide bombings if attacked, but there were also reports that Mr Ghazi - who sought safe passage for himself and his elderly mother - had been usurped by the militants around him.

 

This morning Mr Ghazi told Geo TV that his mother had been wounded by gunshot. "The government is using full force. This is naked aggression," he said. "My martyrdom is certain now."

 

The pre-dawn raid was a risky gambit for Gen Musharraf, who throughout the crisis has had to weigh the benefits of proving his credentials as an anti-extremist leader against the possible domestic backlash in the event of large-scale casualties.

 

Over the past six months the mosque had become a severe embarrassment to his government as radicalised students abducted suspected prostitutes and defied police as part of a plan to force Sharia law on the residents of the capital.

 

Late last night there had been hopes that the standoff would reach a peaceful conclusion. A delegation of 12 religious leaders headed by the politician Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain started negotiations with Mr Ghazi, initially using a loudspeaker and then a telephone.

 

At about midnight Mr Shujaat brought a report on the talks to Gen Musharraf's army camp office in Rawalpindi. Local media reported that Mr Ghazi was prepared to surrender if certain conditions were met, but Gen Musharraf rejected the compromise, according to reports.

 

The shooting began minutes later, and as Mr Hussein left the area, he said he had "never been so disappointed".

 

The official death toll since the confrontation erupted last Tuesday is now put at 71.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2122750,00.html

[Ibtisam]

General Pervez Musharraf has stamped and sealed his faith with this one. I would not be suprised if Pakistan goes into a war Zone soon enough. He hsould've just accepted Mr. Hussein suggestion.

[-Lily-]

^^^Yes it looks like a Taliban style regime in waiting will take over.

 

p.s. Xanthus, why have you abandoned the Troll thread, was there some drama I missed

[Ibtisam]

^^I don't know about a Taliban Style regime taking over, most of the Civilian Pakistan's are not very religious, they tent to be more cultural than religious (but then that has been said about Somali’s as well, and they had the ICU) so maybe.

 

p.s. You are too observant!

[-Lily-]

Xanthus, I'm not really up to date with the politics of Pakistan and power will probably remain with the secular of mind, but in the event of civil war wouldn't the Taliban like sympathisers make a go of it as well? There seems to be a lot of tribalist based support in certain areas.

 

p.s and do come back to Troll thread. When did you start listening to ppl?

[Ibtisam]

Most of their supporters are poor, or oppressed, or just young angry men, while the secular are the rich high classed, who have always been happy to rule. I think in general most people want to avoid chaos, but Pakistan has reached boiling point, things will probably blow a lot sooner than the elections. They have a lot of internal problems, and a lot of people are using the religion as a form of protest against their problems simply because they see an alternative to their condition.

 

P.s. I don't know much about political Pakistan, but i watch this programm on BBC1, it was really good, about a week ago, explored the political relaties of Pakistan.

 

P..s.s. I don't listen to people, I just avoid hearing what they have to say

[Jacaylbaro]

I expected this and even worse ........ now expect US directly participating the raid.

[N.O.R.F]

Pakistan is a wierd place.

[Allamagan]

I am wondering about their nuke systems may get out of their hands. They need to unite not to be divided. I watched a CNN documentary called "Pakinstan, the enemy from within" depicting musharaf as "the man with two faces" i.e when he is with the west he is pro western and strong playa of this war on terror and at home he lies to them and accused of giving them shelter top talibans and alqacida leaders.

 

I dont think he is giving them shelter, could be they are living in Pakistan without his knowledge. We all know how many of them he handed out to americans. This is just a plain accusation.

[N.O.R.F]

I think he tried his best in this Mosque situation. CNN is CNN, period.

[Fabregas]

I think these guys had it coming to them. Just like those guys who wanted created a global caliphate from a Palestinian refugee camp(Lebanon). Why don't they just go to Iraq and Afghanistan?

[Jacaylbaro]

marka masaajidkaad ku tukanaysay lagugu soo doonto maxaad samayn lahayd ??

[Fabregas]

but these guys were kidnapping ppl from brothels etc and trying to enforce their own law. Secondly they were armed. Marke it is not a surpise that they were stormed. I suspect they themselves wanted this to happen. The Mullahs told the Ciyaal if they fought the army they would be Shaheed, whilst one of them ran away in a Burqa. As much as I don't like the regimes in Pakistan, Lebanon etc...One can understand why they would storm places were there are armed ppl who are willing to kill the national army.

[Jacaylbaro]

People are armed in Pakistan and Afghanistan. I would never wonder if gunmen are inside a mosque coz they produce those weapons locally. Not government owned idustries but small one owned by indivituals and clans. that is how they live in Pakistan.

 

And yes they would fight against the army coz most of them are religious or have religious feelings and they believe that their national army is collaborating with the US for eradicating the islamists. Just like people in Mogadishu believe the tfg soldiers are collaborating with the Ethiopians which is true in one side.

 

The governments create sometimes such games just to receive more money and aid from the US regime so that they will be still ruling the country. It wouldn't surprise me if Musharraf is all behind this scenario.

[Che -Guevara]

Gen Musharaf did well. kudos to him. It is unfortunate so many lives were lost but he was left with no choice.