Commandos launch assault to free Pakistan hostages

[laststeamtrain]

Source: AP

Commandos launch assault to free Pakistan hostages
By MOHAMMAD YUSUF, Associated Press Writer 4 mins ago

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan – Pakistan's military says commandos are carrying out an operation to free about a dozen soldiers held hostage by militants inside army headquarters.

Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas says most of the hostages have been freed in the operation early Sunday, but operations are still continuing.

Two loud explosions and gunshots were heard from inside the complex close to the capital.

The militants slipped into the complex after they and others attacked it on Saturday, sparking a gunbattle that killed four assailants and six soldiers.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_pakistan

[bemildred]

1. Pakistan commandos free "most" hostages: army

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani commandos stormed a building near army headquarters on Sunday and freed "most" of up to 15 hostages being held there by suspected Taliban militants, a military spokesman said.

Saturday's brazen attack on the tightly guarded headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi came as the military prepared a major offensive against the militants in their northwestern stronghold of South Waziristan on the Afghan border.

The strike at the heart of the powerful military is likely to revive fears for nuclear-armed Pakistan's stability at a time when the United States needs its help in the campaign against an intensifying insurgency in Afghanistan.

A blast and gunfire erupted before dawn as soldiers assaulted a security office building near the army headquarters where the gunmen and their hostages were holed up.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE59810420091011

[laststeamtrain]

2. "Most of me was freed", said the torso to the head. n/t.

[bemildred]

3. Well, dead guys are definitely not hostages anymore.

However, getting your army HQ taken over is never going to look good. Sort of like getting the Pentagon rammed by a civilian passenger aircraft, just no way to make it look good.

[cosmicone]

4. hahahahahahahahahaha this is fun

Pakistani ISI trained terrorists fighting Pakistani ISI trained commandos!!

It is sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

[IndianaGreen]

5. What's so goddamned funny to you? That innocent people died at the hands of terrorists?

Thankfully 39 of the hostages were freed, while two of the Taliban terrorists blew themselves to bits for a misguided theology.

[cosmicone]

7. There were no innocents that died there. Don't be so naive.

Pakistani military = terrorists. All of them.

[IndianaGreen]

8. That's bin Laden's rationale for attacking the WTC

Nice broad brush you are using there, bud.

[cosmicone]

9. I didn't attack the military headquarters ....

so comparing me to Bin Laden shows the weakness of your argument. I simply thought it was funny that terrorists were killing terrorists.

Since inception, Pakistani military and its brother ISI have existed for one purpose and one purpose only -- attacking India. First conventionally, and when their asses got kicked, by using terror.

Read about the Kargil war which Musharraf waged with the Pakistani military regulars posing as terrorists.

Think of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai when the Pakistani military regulars posed as terrorists.

Pakistani military IS the world's largest terrorist organization -- other than Cheney's republicans that is.

[mrJJ]

6. Militant leader=Pakistan Military Defector

Militant leader who led attack on Pakistan Army base is one of many defectors

The leader of the attack on the Pakistani Army’s headquarters is one of several former military officers and soldiers to have joined Islamic militant groups.

Security officials have identified him as Mohammed Aqeel and said that he was in the medical corps before joining militants based in the northwestern tribal region of North Waziristan.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6870279.ece