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07-03-2016, 04:43 AM
Military operation continues for 11 hours; six attackers also killed
DHAKA: Heavily armed militants murdered 20 hostages in Bangladesh, hacking many of their victims to death, before six of the attackers were gunned down at the end of a siege on Saturday at a restaurant packed with foreigners. As the Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the carnage at the start of the Eid holiday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she was determined to eradicate militancy in the mainly Muslim nation.
Survivors told of how the hostage-takers separated locals from the foreigners who were eating side-by-side before embarking on a killing spree which was brought to an end 11 hours later in a fierce gunbattle. Although there was ** breakdown of the casualties, the army said they were mainly Italian or Japanese while an Indian student was confirmed as among the dead. Most had been slaughtered with sharpened *******.
Two police ******rs were also killed at the start of the siege while a total of six attackers were shot dead at the finale when elite commandos stormed the cafe. One of the assailants was captured alive and arrested, the army said.
Hasina’s government has previously blamed a string of deadly attacks, targeting religious mi**rities and foreigners, on her domestic opponents but the incident will heighten fears that IS’s reach is spreading. “It was an extremely hei**us act. What kind of Muslims are these people?” said Hasina in a televised address.
The attack, by far the deadliest of a recent wave of killings claimed by IS or a local al-Qaeda offshoot, was carried out in a neighbourhood which is home to the country’s elite and houses many of the major embassies.
An**uncing the end of the siege, officials said that 13 hostages had been rescued after members of an elite force took control of the cafe and shot dead six of the gunmen. But while Hasina called the outcome a “success”, the security forces later revealed that 20 of those taken captive were killed.
“Most them had been brutally hacked to death with sharp *******,” an army spokesman, Brigadier General Nayeem Ashfaq Chowdhury, told reporters.
One senior army ******r said that all 20 of the victims were foreigners but local media said four were Bangladeshi and a spokesman said the situation remained unclear.
“We’re doing the identification. After that, we can determine whether all 20 are foreigners or if there are any Bangladeshis among the dead,” army spokesman Rashidul Hasan told AFP.
The attack triggered widespread condemnation, with Pope Francis condemning “such barbarous acts as against God and humanity”. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called it “a direct challenge to our global community”.
Britain meanwhile urged its nationals to steer clear of international hotels, supermarkets, restaurants and clubs. The attack follows a ****** of killings targeting religious mi**rities and foreigners.
Earlier on Friday, a Hindu temple worker was hacked to death in western Bangladesh and a Hindu priest was stabbed early Saturday in the southwest.
Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Saturday that nine Italians were killed and a 10th was listed as missing after militants attacked the restaurant in the Bangladesh.
The nine fatalities comprised four men and five women, Gentiloni told the press, adding that relatives had been **tified. A tenth Italian was in the restaurant when the attack unfolded but was **t among the 20 listed as dead, he said.
Seven Japanese were also killed in the attack, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Saturday. A US citizen was also among those killed in the militant attack, the US government said.
“We can confirm that a US citizen was also among those senselessly murdered in this attack,” the State Department said in a statement that gave ** other details about the US citizen.
The White House condemned the attack, which it said resulted in as many as 20 deaths, including that of the American.
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DHAKA: Heavily armed militants murdered 20 hostages in Bangladesh, hacking many of their victims to death, before six of the attackers were gunned down at the end of a siege on Saturday at a restaurant packed with foreigners. As the Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the carnage at the start of the Eid holiday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she was determined to eradicate militancy in the mainly Muslim nation.
Survivors told of how the hostage-takers separated locals from the foreigners who were eating side-by-side before embarking on a killing spree which was brought to an end 11 hours later in a fierce gunbattle. Although there was ** breakdown of the casualties, the army said they were mainly Italian or Japanese while an Indian student was confirmed as among the dead. Most had been slaughtered with sharpened *******.
Two police ******rs were also killed at the start of the siege while a total of six attackers were shot dead at the finale when elite commandos stormed the cafe. One of the assailants was captured alive and arrested, the army said.
Hasina’s government has previously blamed a string of deadly attacks, targeting religious mi**rities and foreigners, on her domestic opponents but the incident will heighten fears that IS’s reach is spreading. “It was an extremely hei**us act. What kind of Muslims are these people?” said Hasina in a televised address.
The attack, by far the deadliest of a recent wave of killings claimed by IS or a local al-Qaeda offshoot, was carried out in a neighbourhood which is home to the country’s elite and houses many of the major embassies.
An**uncing the end of the siege, officials said that 13 hostages had been rescued after members of an elite force took control of the cafe and shot dead six of the gunmen. But while Hasina called the outcome a “success”, the security forces later revealed that 20 of those taken captive were killed.
“Most them had been brutally hacked to death with sharp *******,” an army spokesman, Brigadier General Nayeem Ashfaq Chowdhury, told reporters.
One senior army ******r said that all 20 of the victims were foreigners but local media said four were Bangladeshi and a spokesman said the situation remained unclear.
“We’re doing the identification. After that, we can determine whether all 20 are foreigners or if there are any Bangladeshis among the dead,” army spokesman Rashidul Hasan told AFP.
The attack triggered widespread condemnation, with Pope Francis condemning “such barbarous acts as against God and humanity”. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called it “a direct challenge to our global community”.
Britain meanwhile urged its nationals to steer clear of international hotels, supermarkets, restaurants and clubs. The attack follows a ****** of killings targeting religious mi**rities and foreigners.
Earlier on Friday, a Hindu temple worker was hacked to death in western Bangladesh and a Hindu priest was stabbed early Saturday in the southwest.
Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Saturday that nine Italians were killed and a 10th was listed as missing after militants attacked the restaurant in the Bangladesh.
The nine fatalities comprised four men and five women, Gentiloni told the press, adding that relatives had been **tified. A tenth Italian was in the restaurant when the attack unfolded but was **t among the 20 listed as dead, he said.
Seven Japanese were also killed in the attack, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Saturday. A US citizen was also among those killed in the militant attack, the US government said.
“We can confirm that a US citizen was also among those senselessly murdered in this attack,” the State Department said in a statement that gave ** other details about the US citizen.
The White House condemned the attack, which it said resulted in as many as 20 deaths, including that of the American.
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