Cleric rejects calls for unconditional surrender

THE top-ranking cleric of a radical mosque besieged by government forces in Pakistan’s capital rejected calls for an unconditional surrender yesterday, saying he and his die-hard followers were ready for martyrdom.

At dusk on the third day of the siege, a half-dozen explosions rocked the area around the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, shooting debris high above the treetops along with plumes of smoke and dust. Explosions and gunfire also were heard earlier in the day, but troops appeared to be holding back.

There were no immediate reports of injuries and it was not possible to determine who initiated the latest round of shooting.