[gandalftb]

more than 75 rooms in the basement, hostages and militants divided between the rooms, fighting in every room

[gandalftb]

PA spokesman: no nerve gas has been used

[AmericanInTokyo]

LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL!

**Pakistan Stocks Rise After Troops Storm Red Mosque (Update1)

By Farhan Sharif and Khalid Qayum July 10 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan's stocks rose to a record after troops stormed the Red Mosque in Islamabad today to clear the building of rebels and end a weeklong siege, reinforcing investor confidence. At least 40 militants were killed while three members of the security forces died, army spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told a news conference broadcast live on television. ``The operation is still progressing,'' he said. The benchmark Karachi Stock Exchange 10 index rose 0.5 percent to 14,094.70 at 10:41 a.m. local time, led by Oil & Gas Development Co. Ltd., the biggest fuels explorer, and Arif Habib Securities Ltd. The market has risen 2.1 percent to a record in the past week, during the siege that started on July 3. Overseas investors have backed Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's management of the incident. **