The hostage taking drama at the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Pakistan Army in the garrison town of Rawalpindi finally came to an end on Sunday morning after almost 18 hours amidst more bloodshed when the commandos carried out a swift operation to rescue 39 of their 42 khaki colleagues alive.
Three hostages, seven armymen, two army commandos,eight terrorists and four terrorists were killed during the rescue operation while the ring leader of the fidayeen squad Aqeel alias Dr Osman was captured in a critical condition.
The rescue operation, carried out around 6 am local time, ended a crisis that began when the Islamic militants attacked the military central command in the northern city of Rawalpindi, initially killing six army personnel including a Brigadier and a Colonel, then taking hostages in a stand-off that lasted through the night.
The rescue operation freed hostages who were being held in a building inside the headquarters by a suicide bomber, who was shot dead during the action. “They were in a room with a terrorist who was wearing a suicide jacket, but the commandoes acted promptly and gunned him down before he could pull the trigger”, said the Pakistan army spokesman major general Athar Abbas.
Athar Abbas said Aqeel alias Osman initially managed to flee and detonated a cache of explosives, injuring five security personnel, but was eventually injured and arrested by the commandos.
The GHQ assault was the third major terrorist attack to hit Pakistan in six days, and likely was a warning from Taliban of the bloodshed that will ensue from Pakistan’s planned Washington-backed military offensive in the Waziristan region. While other recent attacks resulted in more bloodshed, the target Saturday was deeply symbolic for a country dominated by its armed forces. Many Pakistani analysts believe the GHQ assault was a serious blow to the Pakistani security forces.
