Pakistan counted the human and political cost on Wednesday of an armed assault that killed a rebel cleric and at least 50 Islamist fighters and eight soldiers at an Islamabad mosque after a week-long siege.
The State Department on Tuesday backed Pakistan's decision to storm a mosque in Islamabad where militants were holding hostages.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan— Pakistani troops continued a fierce battle to seize a mosque compound in the nation's capital Tuesday, killing a senior cleric as the death toll climbed above 50.
The United States on Tuesday praised Pakistan's "responsible" decision to storm a pro-Taliban mosque sheltering scores of women and children, and hailed President Pervez Musharraf as a good ally.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan— When Pakistani troops stormed Lal Masjid, the Red Mosque, early Tuesday, the dead included fiery cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who had holed up with hardcore fighters and an unknown number of women and children.
Pakistan stocks, Asia's best performers since President Pervez Musharraf seized power in a coup eight years ago, may be set for a sell-off as his bid for a new five-year term meets widespread public opposition.
The United States says it understands why Pakistan used force to end the standoff at Islamabad's Red Mosque occupied by Islamic militants.
July 11 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan must unite to defeat extremism, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said after the army stormed the Red Mosque in Islamabad, killing 50 militants and ending a challenge to the government by Islamic clerics.
The eight-day siege of the Red Mosque, the fiery epicenter of Pakistan's religious right, came to a head Tuesday, as a daylong battle left eight military personnel and at least 60 militants dead, including one of the main leaders of the mosques. Left, the Pakistani cleric, Jamia Hasfa Abdul Rashid Ghazi.
July 11 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan must unite to defeat extremism, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said after an army raid on the capital's Red Mosque left more than 50 militants dead.