PAKISTAN/FILE: Pakistan troops kill rebel cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi after storming the Lal Masjid in Islamabad

Pakistan troops kill rebel cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi after storming the Lal Masjid in Islamabad. Ghazi's death comes after a week-long standoff at the mosque. Pakistani forces killed a rebel Islamist leader and more than 50 of his militants on Tuesday (July 10) after 15 hours of fighting in an Islamabad mosque compound at the climax of a week-long siege. Militants mounted a last stand in the basement of a religious school where cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi was killed, the Interior Ministry said. Local Television stations reported his death soon after, "We have confirmation right now that Abdul Rashid Ghazi has been killed," said an anchor at GEO TV during their coverage of the standoff. There was no immediate word on the fate of women and children he was said to have been using as human shields. Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said some surviving militants were still putting up resistance after Ghazi was killed. At least eight soldiers were killed and 29 wounded in the assault to end the standoff at Lal Masjid, the Red Mosque, military spokesman Major-General Waheed Arshad said earlier. Fifty militants had been captured or surrendered by then. "Operation Silence" started at 4 a.m. (2300 GMT Monday) with a barrage of explosions and sustained gunfire, and news of Ghazi's death broke at around 7 p.m. local time. Even afterwards, two loud explosions were heard. At least 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. Many of the women had been among the cleric's most fervent supporters. Local television GEO TV played out Ghazi's last telephone interview with the station which he gave while under siege this past week at Lal Masjid. The Red Mosque 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. The government had been demanding the unconditional surrender of Ghazi and scores of the radical cleric's hardcore fighters, who authorities said included wanted militants. Ghazi refused, saying he would prefer martyrdom. 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. 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 11, 2007

Tags:. .opposition. .confirmation. .assaulted. .afghanistans. .immediate