Posted on 07/09/2007 5:26:04 PM PDT by mdittmar
Pakistani troops early Tuesday launched a massive operation against a cleric and his armed men in a besieged Islamabad mosque after negotiations failed, a top military official told AFP.
"The troops are now inside the mosque, they are at the roof top," top military spokesman Major General Arshad Waheed told AFP.
"It is a final push to clear the place of armed militants," he said, adding that the militants were putting up stiff resistance.
The talks between the Pakistani government and a cleric holed up with armed men at the mosque failed early Tuesday after he refused to release women and children allegedly held hostage, an official said.
Top government negotiator Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain announced the failure after 11 hours of talks, which was followed immediately by heavy firing and two massive blasts.
"After 11 hours of negotiations we are deeply disappointed that the talks did not succeed," he told a news conference near the Red Mosque.
gotta take a break, those Paki commandos are strictly hard core, taking rocket fire in a basement, hells a popping
Bombs are being used to blow the basement for easier access to the militants.
The militants do have gas masks and nerve gas was used.
The basement is what is saving the militants from the heavy shelling by the armed forces.
Great goin’ my FRiend...
Where the heck are CNN, FoxNews, MSNBC while all this is going on?? If car chases make good pictures, surely this does!!
Multiple heavy explosions from near the lunch room are being heard. Another very loud one that was heard through the reporters microphone.
militants planted land mines.
More firing and explosions I just heard. Reporter saying coming from the basement and the mosque.
Hearing very loud explosions as I type.
GEO conducting an interview with a last stand mujahid, spewing hate of America, mushy.
Reporter now saying that he suspects that the injured are being taken to the 3 big hospitals in Islamabad without showing the media. Also hospitals are off limits to media, so he is saying they are trying to keep the media from the injured. Also says that there maybe close quarters battles going on as he hears small caliber weapons being fired.
Report that the final assault team is 3rd Elite Commando of Punjab. Interesting, as they may be largely non-muslim Sikhs, nasty boys.
Confirmed, three dead are not referred to as shaheed (muslim dead) but as kia, must be sikhs.
confirmed high value afghan militants inside
big explosion, biggest of the raid so far, reports are the commandos are “finishing off the basement” foreigners in last stand
very high value, referred to as “afghan”, militants in last stand. Doesn’t sound like UBL although I got early reports of Uzbeks inside, UBL’s favorites. Mullah Omar??? We can only hope.
they keep fighting, more explosions and smoke, who in the hell is inside? Lots of angry talk about afghanis.
more angry talk about afghanis: “We will rain hell on them” “plague of the earth” “afghan jihadi tanzeems enforcing their lawlessness on others”
Except for the poor victims, this is like waiting to open your presents on Christmas morning!!
Emergency declared in Military Hospital, Combined Military Hospital and Cantonment Hospital. Emergency declared in other major hospitals too. foreign militants there. Uzbeks Chechans 30-35 have surrendered
A quick thanks while we wait.
45-50 militants have been killed more the 50 have been injured "good number" of militants still in both basements, tunnels were dug, many big explosions now
Your Doin’ Great...
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