Bangladesh Police Storm Restaurant to End Hostage Siege
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Bangladeshi security forces stormed a cafe in the capital, Dhaka and ended a siege during which 20 hostages had been held for more than 10 hours after gunmen launched an attack.
At least six of the attackers were killed and 13 hostages rescued in the Saturday morning operation at the Holey Artisan cafe, the commanding officer of Bangladeshi commandos said.
Officials later said the cafe had been cleared of gunmen and the siege had ended, Al Jazeera reported.
"The operation is over. The situation is completely under control," army spokesman Colonel Rashidul Hasan said.
The rescued people include a Japanese citizen, who was wounded, and two Sri Lankans, Masud said, adding that were casualties among other hostages, and giving no further details.
Police said eight or nine men attacked the cafe in Dhaka's diplomatic enclave, popular with expatriates, around 9pm local time on Friday.
Daesh (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attack.
Earlier, the group posted photos of what it said were dead foreigners killed in the assault on the cafe, where police believe eight or nine gunmen are holed up armed with assault rifles and grenades.
Daesh said 24 people had died. Bangladeshi police denied that, saying two police officers had been killed and at least 20 people were wounded.
Gowher Rizvi, an adviser to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said security forces had tried to negotiate a way out of the crisis.
Italian and Indian nationals were among the hostages, said a duty officer at Rapid Action Battalion's control room.
Italy's ambassador to Bangladesh, Mario Palma, told Italian state TV seven Italians were among the hostages.
"It is a suicide attack. They want to carry out a powerful and bloody operation and there is no room for negotiation," Palma said.
The hostage crisis marks an escalation from a recent spate of murders claimed by Daesh and al-Qaeda on foreigners and religious minorities, and could deal a major blow to the country's vital $25bn garment sector.
Last year, several Western retailers temporarily halted visits to Dhaka following the killing of two foreigners.
Violence has spiked in Bangladesh in the last 18 months. Attacks have tended to be on individuals, often using machetes, and the raid on the restaurant was a rare instance of a more coordinated operation.
Rizvi, the Bangladesh prime minister's adviser, said the hostage crisis began when local security guards in the diplomatic enclave noticed several gunmen outside a medical centre.
When the guards approached, the gunmen ran into the restaurant, which was packed with people waiting for tables, he added.
An employee who escaped told local television about 20 customers were in the restaurant at the time, most of them foreigners. The restaurant has a seating capacity of about 25 people.
Some 15 to 20 staff were working at the restaurant at the time, the employee said.
A police officer at the scene said when security forces tried to enter the premises at the beginning of the siege they met a hail of bullets and grenades.
Television footage showed a number of police being led away from the site with blood on their faces and clothes.
