Bangladeshi troops rescued at least 13 hostages and shot
dead six gunmen Saturday, ending an overnight siege at a cafe in Dhaka,
officials said.
"The operation is
over," said Brig. Gen. Mujibur Rahman, who was overseeing the troops in
the rescue effort at Holey Artisan Bakery, which was raided by gunmen Friday
night.
Its unclear how many
people the gunmen seized in the cafe at a diplomatic zone, but Rahman said 14
hostages were rescued.
Bangladesh Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina provided a different number.
"We were able to save
13 people ... and of these terrorists six of them died on the spot, they died
right there," Hasina said at a news conference.
She said one of the terrorists was captured alive.
Before the siege ended, witness Fayad Munaim said he
heard heavy gunfire after hours of quiet in the area. The shots lasted about 10
minutes then stopped, he said.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the terror attack,
according to its media branch, Amaq. Some U.S. officials have cast doubt on the
claim.
Gunmen attacked the cafe
popular with expats and took those inside hostage, cafe worker Sumon Reza said.
Reza said he escaped as
six to eight gunmen entered. About 20 people, some of them foreigners, were in
the restaurant.
• A police officer in
charge of a nearby station was shot dead, Maruf Hasan of Dhaka Metropolitan
Police said. A second officer died from gunshot wounds, Detective Police Deputy
Commissioner Sheikh Nazmul Alam said.
• Alam said 40
people were wounded, some by gunshots and others by shrapnel from explosive
devices.
• Ataur Rahman, who was in
his office about 200 meters from the restaurant, said he went to the street as
he heard a series of gunshots. "I thought it might be an attack somewhere
nearby by local thugs." He said people were racing for cover, saying
gunmen were shouting "Allahu Akbar."
• Police are trying to
find out the demands of the gunmen holding customers. The gunmen have not made
any demands.
• The U.S. Embassy in
Dhaka said it had accounted for all of the American citizens working under the
chief of the mission authority.
The embassy and many other
diplomatic missions are less than 1.5 kilometers (.9 miles) from the cafe.
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