Pak army HQ siege over; 42 hostages freed

Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, Oct 11 (PTI) In a dramatic rescue mission,
Pakistani commandos Sunday stormed a building near the army
headquarters in Rawalpindi to end a 20-hour siege freeing 42
hostages held by Taliban terrorists, who staged a brazen
assault on the top military facility, and killed 4 militants.

Three hostages were also killed in firing by terrorists
while two commandos of the elite Special Service group died
during the rescue mission, chief military spokesman Maj Gen
Athar Abbas said. Five security personnel were also injured.
A fifth terrorist, identified as Aqeel alias Dr Usman and
believed to be the mastermind behind the attack that began
Saturday, was captured in an injured condition, said.

Aqeel is also believed to be behind the attack on Sri
Lankan cricket team in Lahore on March 3 and failed attempts
on former President Pervez Musharraf's life.
Four terrorists and six soldiers, including a brigadier
from Military Intelligence and a lieutenant colonel, were
killed during Saturday's fierce gun battle.

In all, at least 19 people were killed during the attack
-- 6 soldiers, 2 commandos, 8 terrorists and 3 hostages.
At least two of the terrorists killed Sunday morning were
wearing suicide jackets and intended to blow themselves up in
the event of an assault by the military, Abbas said. One of
them had positioned himself in a room where 22 hostages were
being held. In all, 42 hostages, including security personnel
and civilian employees of the military, were freed.

The commandos launched the final assault to free the
hostages a few minutes before 6 AM local time. Gunshots and
several explosions were heard as helicopters hovered overhead.

Abbas said the operation was completed at 9.30 AM. Troops
were clearing the area and collecting evidence, he added.
"Security forces have complete control of the building,"
Abbas told reporters. It is believed that the building in
which the terrorists had barricaded themselves was a key
office of the Military Intelligence agency.
The operation to free the hostages was launched nearly 20
hours after terrorists dressed in military uniforms tried to
storm the army's heavily fortified General Headquarters in
Rawalpindi near here Saturday. The terrorists, who were in a
white van, opened fire when they were challenged at a check
post near a stadium outside the military compound.
They then left the van and advanced towards a second
check post, firing with automatic weapons and lobbing
grenades.
The terrorists then holed up in a building near the
second check post and took security personnel and civilian
employees hostage. The army had initially said the attackers
were holding only 10 to 15 people hostage but later reports
suggested that they captured over 50 people. Eight hostages
were reportedly freed late Saturday night.
The military made elaborate preparations for the rescue
mission Sunday morning to minimise collateral damage, Abbas
said. Electricity in the area where the terrorists were hiding
was cut off at about 9 PM Saturday night.

Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik told a TV channel
that security forces gathered vital clues about the terrorists
after raiding a house on the outskirts where they had lived
for the past two months.

"During the raid, fuses of the type used in suicide
jackets were found. So we knew the terrorists would have
suicide jackets and we had to be careful," he said.
Military officials said nine officers and 22 soldiers
were among the hostages freed Sunday. The rest were civilian
employees of the military. Suicide jackets, grenades,
explosives and improvised explosive devices were recovered by
troops from the dead terrorists.
A faction of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed
responsibility for the attack but Interior Minister Malik said
the Taliban were only a front for the al-Qaeda. He said most
recent terror attacks were launched jointly by the Taliban,
al-Qaeda and other banned groups.
These attacks also had their roots in the lawless South
Waziristan tribal region and the government had decided to
launch a military operation against militants in the area,
Malik said.

The government had given the mandate for the operation to
army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and the military's top
leadership will decide the time for launching the campaign, he
added. PTI RHL
ANU