Pakistanis free 22 hostages held by militants

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — The Pakistani military says commandos have freed 22 hostages held by militants inside army headquarters. It said three captives and four militants died in the dawn raid.

Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas says “mopping operations” inside the building were continuing early today.

Abbas said those freed included soldiers and civilians.

The army had previously said between 10 and 15 soldiers were being held hostage.

About five heavily armed militants took the hostages after they and other assailants attacked the main gate of the headquarters Saturday, killing six soldiers. The hostages were held for about 18 hours.

The government said the assault on the headquarters, which followed a bloody market-bombing and a suicide blast at a U.N. aid agency in the past week, had strengthened its resolve to push into South Waziristan — a mountainous region home to al-Qaida leaders where security forces have been beaten back by insurgents before.

The spasm of violence was confirmation that the militants had regrouped despite recent military operations against their forces and the killing of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in a CIA drone attack in August. His replacement vowed just last week to step up attacks around the country and repel any push into Waziristan.

No group claimed responsibility, but authorities were sure that the Pakistani Taliban or an allied Islamist militant group were behind it.

In its brazenness and sophistication, the assault resembled attacks in March in the eastern city of Lahore by teams of militants against the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team and a police training center, which the insurgents took over for 12 hours before security forces retook it.

Saturday’s attack began shortly before noon when the gunmen, dressed in camouflage military uniforms and wielding assault rifles and grenades, drove a white van up to the army compound and opened fire, Abbas said.