22 hostages freed after raid in Pakistani army headquarters
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Sunday, October 11, 2009
- 18 December 2009: Suspected US drone strikes kill twelve in western Pakistan
- 16 December 2009: Suicide bomber kills at least twenty in Pakistan town
- 15 December 2009: At least 22 killed in blast in central Pakistan
- 12 December 2009: Pakistani PM: Anti-Taliban offensive in South Waziristan is over
- 8 December 2009: Bomb blasts in Pakistan kill fifty
22 hostages were freed after military commandos raided a Pakistan army headquarters in Rawalpindi on Sunday that had been taken by militants, reports said. Four militants and three hostages had been killed in the resulting clashes including two senior officers.
The incident began midday on Saturday when several gunmen, disguised in military uniforms, attacked a checkpoint outside the heavily guarded headquarters. The Pakistani military initially said it had the situation under control about an hour after the attack, however, it had been discovered later that some of the militants had escaped into a security office building and were holding hostages.
"Eight to 10 terrorists were involved in this attack," Pakistani army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said. He was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying that "three of the hostages were killed due to militant firing."
No group has yet claimed responsibility for this attack.
On Monday, a suicide bomber disguised in a paramilitary uniform attacked a UN office in nearby Islamabad, and on Friday, a suspected suicide car-bomber killed some 50 people in Peshawar. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the UN bombing and threatened to target other international organizations and Pakistani government and military locations.
In response to the attacks, Pakistani leaders have vowed to start a new offensive against militants in the country's tribal regions along the Afghan border.
Sources
- "Gunmen Take Hostages in Attack on Pakistani Army Headquarters". VOA News, October 10, 2009
- "Pakistan militants take hostages". BBC News Online, October 10, 2009
- "Pakistan army: Commando raid frees 22 hostages". Associated Press, October 10, 2009
- "Pakistan carries out hostage raid". BBC News Online, October 10, 2009
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