Commandos free hostages in Pakistan

PAKISTANI commandos freed dozens of hostages held by militants at the army’s own headquarters yesterday, ending a bloody, 22-hour drama that embarrassed the nation’s military as it plans a new offensive against al-Qaida and the Taliban.

The standoff killed 20 people, including three captives and nine militants, who wore army fatigues in the audacious assault. The rescue operation began before dawn yesterday, ultimately freeing 42 hostages, the military said.

One attacker, described as the militants’ ringleader, was captured.

The attack on Pakistan’s “Pentagon”, home to the nation’s most powerful institution, showed the continued strength of insurgents allied with al-Qaida and the Taliban despite military operations and US missile strikes that have battered their ranks. It was the third major attack in Pakistan in a week and threatens to deflate the army’s growing popularity in the wake of successful operations against the Taliban in the Swat Valley, Buner and Bajur.

The government said the siege only steeled its resolve to go through with an offensive in South Waziristan, a tribal region along the Afghan border and a major militant stronghold. The US and Pakistan’s other Western allies want Islamabad to take more action against insurgents also blamed for soaring attacks on US and Nato troops in Afghanistan.

A leading analyst said the militants’ ability to invade the heavily guarded army headquarters, even securing uniforms, was evidence they may have infiltrated the security forces. At the very least, he said, it shows the army is constantly forced to play defence.

“The question is, when do they get ahead of the curve where they can actually be in preventative mode?” said Kamran Bokhari, an analyst with Stratfor, a US-based global intelligence firm.

Five heavily armed militants took the hostages after they and about four other assailants attacked the headquarters’ main gate on Saturday, killing six soldiers, including a brigadier and a lieutenant colonel. The gunmen arrived in a white van that reportedly had army license plates.

No group claimed responsibility, but authorities said they were sure the Pakistani Taliban or an allied Islamic militant group were behind the strike.

Army spokesman Athar Abbas identified the captured man as Aqeel, alias Dr Usman. The name matched that of a militant suspected of orchestrating an attack in Lahore earlier this year on Sri Lanka’s visiting cricket team.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton toldreporters in London that the weekend siege showed that militants are “increasingly threatening the authority of the [Pakistani] state, butwe see no evidence they are going to take over the state”.

She and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband both said, however, that there was no sign Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal was at risk.