Commando assault brings bloody end to Bangladesh hostage standoff

The hostage crisis in a Gulshan café that had brought Dhaka to its knees for 12 hours has ended in a bloodbath after army commandos stormed the popular cafe teeming with expatriates.

Around 7:30am on Saturday, security forces stormed the cafe in the Gulshan diplomatic zone and five hostages, including women and children, were freed minutes after the offensive had begun, a witness told bdnews24.com.
 
A RAB official said at least five persons have been killed during the raid, but he did say whether they were hostages or gunmen.  

Replying to a query from a hostage's relative outside the scene around 9:45am, Bangladesh Police chief AKM Shahidul Hoque said that 18 people had been rescued alive.
 
He, however, left without answering how many people died.

Security officials, on the spot, also declined to reveal whether hostages died during the raid at the Holey Artisan Bakery and O Kitchen in Road No. 79 near Gulshan-2.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, however, said at a programme on Saturday morning that 13 people have been rescued alive.

She added that one of the gunmen was captured alive and six others were killed during the raid.

A senior police officer, asking not to be named, told bdnews24.com that they have found bodies of some foreigners inside the restaurant. He said that their throats were slit.

Five hours after the hostage crisis begun, Middle East-based militant group the Islamic State claimed the attack, reported international media. 
 

Citing the radical group’s mouthpiece, the Amaq news agency, they said that 24 people have been killed in the attack and 40 others were injured, including foreigners.

Reuters reported that the Amaq posted photos supposedly provided by the Islamic State, which showed bloody bodies of the victims.

Some reports said the Al Qaeda in Indian Sub-continent (AQIS) had also claimed responsibility for the attack.

Terrorism experts say if both ISIS and AQIS have claimed responsibility for the attack, perhaps they are both lying and that gives credence to Dhaka's claims that home-grown terrorists are responsible for the attack.

Bangladesh authorities are, however, yet to comment on who might be behind the attack, the first of its kind where people, especially foreigners, were held hostages.

Army men in armoured personnel carriers (APCs) also moved in with commandos when the raid begun to free the hostage.

Over 1,000 rounds were fired and nearly 1000 explosions were reported in the 30 minutes of the raid.

Heavy firing and explosions continued at least for an hour after the operation had begun.
 

A resident at a building, just 50 yards from the scene, reported spotting snipers firing from their guns.

Shots were being fired from APCs. Grenades were also apparently exploded. Later, the APCs smashed into the walls and entered the restaurant premises.

A bdnews24.com correspondent, who was at entrance to the street where the restaurant is located during the raid, said that he saw fire-fighters rushing to the spot with extinguishers, probably to put out flames from explosions.

He also reported a medical team rushing to the scene with stretchers.
 

According to unconfirmed reports, at least one foreigner has been shot during the raid inside the cafe, but no official comment was available from police.

The developments began around 8:45pm on Friday at the Holey Artisan Bakery and O Kitchen in Gulshan.

Witnesses said seven men, one of them armed with a sword and the others carrying 'small firearms with big magazines' raided the place.

The men shouted 'Allahu Akbar' (God is great) on their way in and started firing blanks with around 20 guests still inside - several of them foreigners, according to the restaurant’s supervisor Sumon Reza, who managed to escape.

Police moved in soon leading to an exchange of fire, in which two police officers died.

With a lawn inside the premises, the eatery at the diplomatic zone was popular among foreigners living in Bangladesh.