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Bangla hostage crisis : Hasina condemns terror attack, but confusion prevails over toll

by IBNS 01 Jul 2016, 08:37 pm

Dhaka, Jul 2 (IBNS) : As the hostage crisis in Dhaka ended after a 10-hour long bloody drama, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Saturday that 13 hostages were rescued from the besieged cafe in Dhaka, but some had been killed.

In a television broadcast,  Hasina said six gunman had been killed and one had been captured alive in a dawn raid by security forces, including  commandos.

"Our objective was to rescue the hostages, and we have been able to save 13 of them. Few may have been killed," she said in a televised speech.

"Because of the effort of the joint force, the terrorists could not flee," he said. Hasina said in a nationally televised speech.


"Six of the terrorists have been killed and one has been captured," Hasina said.

Her statement, however, leaves it unclear as to exactly how many people, including terrorists, were killed. 

Bangladesh army sources had earlier said 13 hostages, including four foreigners, were rescued. Some accounts put the total number of people taken hostage by the terrorists at 20. Going by that figure seven hostages may have died, though the exact figure is yet to be ascertained.

According to reports, two senior police officers were also killed in the gun fight with terrorists, though Hasina's speech did not have any mention about it.

The ISIS has already claimed responsibility for the terror attack, first of its kind in Bangladesh. 

Condemning the attack, Hasina said, "It was an extremely heinous act. What kind of Muslims are these people? They don't have any religion."

"People must resist these terrorists. My government is determined to root out terrorism and militancy from Bangladesh...we can defeat terrorism if the people are united," she said. 

Gunmen attacked the upscale cafe at Gulshan,  the diplomatic area of Dhaka late Friday  and had been holding  the hostages before Commandos and military personnel stormed the building and cleared it after a 10-hour battle.