Re: Lal Masjid Siege Thread - Operation Silence (merged)
Around 76 hostages were freed during the day, but more are believed to be held inside.
Gen Arshad said the militants were firing on security forces from the mosque’s minarets, armed with machine guns, rocket launchers and petrol bombs, and had booby trapped several areas. By mid-afternoon 76 children and women had escaped the mosque, some fleeing under burkas, according to officials.
But fears lingered that a far greater number of people remained trapped inside. The army said many were being held as human shields inside a labyrinthine basement defended by a core faction of battle-hardened militants.