Pakistani rebel cleric 'killed'

BBC World ^ | 11 th July, 2007 | Rana Ghayyour Ahmed

[Ghayyour]

A militant Pakistani cleric and about 50 of his supporters have been killed after troops stormed a mosque in Islamabad, government officials say.

Abdul Rashid Ghazi's body was found in the Red Mosque basement. Officials said he had been caught in the cross-fire.

The army says eight soldiers were also killed in the military operation, and about 50 women and children rescued.

Students at the mosque and its attached religious schools have waged a campaign for months pressing for Sharia law.

Public anger in the capital had been mounting after they kidnapped policemen as well as people they considered to be involved in immoral, un-Islamic activities.

The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says the military operation is a gamble for President Pervez Musharraf who risks a backlash from supporters of those inside the mosque.

In recent days the army has redeployed thousands of troops in north-western Pakistan where pro-Taleban militants opposed to President Musharraf have been carrying out a string of attacks said to be linked to the mosque siege.

Troops attacked the mosque overnight and took control of most of the complex during heavy fighting which raged as they went from room to room throughout Tuesday.

Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said Mr Ghazi was killed as troops were flushing out militants still inside a madrassa (religious school) for women and girls inside the mosque compound.

"He was spotted in the basement and asked to come out. He came out with four or five militants who kept on firing at security forces," Mr Cheema told the AFP news agency.

"The troops responded and in the cross-fire he was killed.

"There are still certain areas to be cleared. The body is in the compound. The other militants were also killed in the fighting."

Brig Cheema said Mr Ghazi had used a number of women and children as "human shields", although the cleric always denied taking anyone hostage.

Mr Ghazi was deputy leader of the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque). His brother, Maulana Abdul Aziz, who was head, was arrested trying to escape last week dressed in a burka.

Hours before his death, Mr Ghazi accused the authorities of "naked aggression". "My martyrdom is certain now," he told Pakistan's Geo television station. 'Terrorists'

It is not clear how many people were inside the complex when it was stormed.

In addition to those killed, about 70 militants had been captured or surrendered, the army said earlier on Tuesday. One of the women rescued was said to be the wife of captured mosque leader Maulana Abdul Aziz.

Security forces began a full-scale siege of the Lal Masjid last Tuesday, not long after mosque students abducted seven Chinese workers they accused of running a brothel.

The government had said it wanted to detain a number of people on a wanted list, and also a number of foreigners whom it said were inside.

Talks reportedly broke down over the militants' demand for an amnesty for all in the mosque.

The authorities said "hardcore terrorists" were inside the mosque, some belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammad, an outlawed radical Muslim organisation which has been linked to al-Qaeda.

Mr Ghazi denied the presence of any banned extremist groups. He said those inside were students of his religious school.

[sageb1]

“Mr Ghazi denied the presence of any banned extremist groups. He said those inside were students of his religious school.”

Same thing.

[voice of india]

Abdul Rashid

Islamabad, July 10 (PTI): Radical cleric, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who headed militants inside the pro-Taliban 'Lal Masjid' in a tense week-long stand-off, was today killed along with 88 of his associates when Pakistan troops stormed the premises to flush out heavily-armed hardliners holding a large number of women and children as hostages. Twelve commandos were also killed during the 'Operation Silence', launched at 04:00 hrs after talks with radicals to resolve the stand-off peacefully failed. At least 88 militants, apart from Ghazi, were killed in the operation, Dawn News TV quoted defence officials as saying. Forty-three-year-old Ghazi, the younger brother of the captured head of the Lal Masjid Maulana Abdul Aziz, was killed by security forces in the basement after he refused to surrender, Interior Ministry spokesman, Brig. Iqbal Cheema, told the media here, nearly 16 hours after the operation was launched. There were reports that Ghazi was holding women and children as human shields, some of whom were said to have been killed. THE HINDU (PTI input)

[mutley]

He said those inside were students of his religious school.

Right...working on their Psychosis Studies degree.

[Ignatz]

...is the punchline, “A damn good start!”?

[SolidWood]

That’s the Santa Claus from the Mall!

[Redbob]

Pervez sure does hate to have his airplane shot at!

[lexington minuteman 1775]

He looks like a DNC Troll!

[KarlInOhio]

Pakistani rebel cleric 'killed'

What's with the Irony Quotes around 'killed'?

Was he not really killed, but someone wanted to make it appear that way? Maybe he was allowed to escape, but they 'found' a body. Maybe he was captured and turned over to Mossad, but it was politically better for him to have been 'killed'.

[freeangel]

He didn’t try and sneak out dressed as a woman? I thought that was SOP for the satan followers?

[Eyes Unclouded]

Maybe he was captured and turned over to Mossad, but it was politically better for him to have been 'killed'.

Maybe you should lay off the weed man... this is Pakistan we are talking about look forward to this guy living in the tribal regions releasing tapes along side AQ and Taliban if he wasn't actually killed.

[dead]

Rage Boy Rampage!

[KarlInOhio]

I picked Mossad because it was the absolutely most ridiculous opposite of the ‘killed’ in the headline.

[Gengis Khan]

Exactly who will turn him over to Mossad? Pakistan? The country thats is a deadly enemy of Israel?

The quotes around around the word ‘killed’ told you he was handed over to Mossad?

[AngelesCrestHighway]

scumbag down!

[JewishRighter]

"Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who headed militants inside the pro-Taliban 'Lal Masjid' in a tense week-long stand-off, was today killed along with 88 of his associates"

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. That's just so sad. How will the world ever get along without Ghazi and the other 88 cockaroaches?

[TChris]

To the author: Why the cutesy quotes? Is there some question over whether the word "killed" is the correct one?

I think some writers use quotation marks the way some speakers use "ummm....."; it's a space filler for times when you don't know what else to do.