At least 23 dead in Pakistan mosque firefight

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Troops stormed the compound of Islamabad's Red Mosque on Tuesday, prompting a fierce firefight with militants accused of holding about 150 hostages inside, officials said. At least three soldiers and 20 militants died in the assault, the army said. Commandos assailed the compound from three directions and quickly cleared the ground floor of the mosque, army spokesman Gen. Waheed Arshad said. Some 20 children who rushed toward the advancing troops were brought to safety, he said.