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| India-Pakistan |
| Pak trooper killed in Lal Masjid shootout |
| 2007-07-03 |
| A Pakistani paramilitary trooper was shot dead and seven students were wounded during clashes at a mosque run by a Taliban-style movement in Islamabad on Tuesday. The clashes began when around 150 students attacked a security picket at a government office near the capital's Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, snatched weapons and took four government officials hostage, according to police. "I can confirm that one of our troopers has been killed in the firing from inside the mosque," Masha Allah, a senior paramilitary official, told reporters. A Reuters correspondent saw seven students with gunshot wounds being taken to hospital. Paramilitary forces fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of students outside the mosque, and came under fire from automatic weapons. Several female students were taken to hospitals suffering from the effects of the gas. "We retaliated with tear gas after which gunshots were fired from inside the mosque," Zafar Iqbal, a senior police official said. "They have also taken away with them four officials of the government office." Gun shots rang out intermittently for two hours though it was unclear if either side was firing directly on the other, as dozens of students carrying staves remained on the street outside the mosque, undeterred by the shooting. Burqa-clad women stood on the rooftops of an adjacent madrasa, shouting anti-government slogans, while male students guarded the entrances to the compound, and some were seen brandishing Kalashnikov rifles. "Kill us. We will die but we will not back off from our demands to enforce Islamic Sharia," said Mahira, one of the female students, told Reuters by telephone. Troops occupied buildings overlooking the sprawling mosque complex, which also houses a religious seminary, or madrasa. Police armed with batons lined up in neighboring streets, while ambulances parked nearby. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #4 If there's still a Pakistan. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-07-03 12:01 |
| #3 elections in Nov. |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-07-03 11:58 |
| #2 Beeb now says 7 dead, 2 troopers. Could be the start of a long hot summer for Perv. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-07-03 11:57 |
| #1 two words: "air strike" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-07-03 09:16 |