PAKISTAN/UNITED KINGDOM: Injured taken to hospital after Pakistani troops storm Red Mosque in Islamabad /British analyst warns military's assault on mosque may lead to more violence in the country

As Pakistani troops storm the Red Mosque in Islamabad the injured are taken to hospital in the capital. A UK analyst warns the military's assault on Lal Masjid may lead to more violence in the country. A Pakistan interior ministry official said on Tuesdy (July 10) rebel cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi had been killed in an assault on a mosque in the capital. Pakistani forces stormed the mosque compound earlier on Tuesday, killing about 50 militants, as they fought their way through an Islamic school where they believed the cleric was hiding with women and children hostages. Militants mounted a last stand in the basements of the madrasa. Eight soldiers were killed and 29 wounded in the assault to end a week-long standoff at Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque. Fifty militants were captured or surrendered. Victims were taken to various hospitals around Islamabad with varying degress of injury. "Operation Silence" started at 4 a.m. (2300 GMT Monday) with a barrage of explosions and sustained gunfire, and was still in progress more than 12 hours later. With more than two-thirds of the mosque-school complex secured, some 30 children and 24 women had managed to get out. It was unclear how many more women and children remained inside but earlier officials had said hundreds could be there. Heavy loss of life among women and children could have serious repercussions for President Pervez Musharraf, who had been under pressure to confront the militants for some time. An election is due by the year end, and General Musharraf, is already going through the rockiest period of his presidency. The Lal Masjid has been a centre of militancy for years, known for its support for Afghanistan's Taliban and opposition to Musharraf's backing for the United States. Smoke shrouded the compound that had been surrounded by troops since clashes with armed students broke out on July 3. The action against the mosque has raised fears of a militant backlash. A wanted Pakistani militant vowed revenge on Monday if the mosque were assaulted. In London, Head of the Asia division at Exclusive Analysis told Reuters the assault on the Mosque will lead to more violence in the country, "Already the army has deployed in the north west frontier province. There have been threats issued by figures in that area and these attacks against the area can be expected in the area. But, it will not be suprising also if an attempt was made in Islamabad. These attempts may not necessarily be successful but it will deliver the message of insecurity and instability at the end of the day, and that will be sufficient," he said. About 300 protesters angry about the assault torched tented offices of Western aid agencies in Battagram, a town in North West Frontier Province damaged by a 2005 earthquake.

ITN Source | July 10, 2007

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