Dhaka: Islamic State militants slaughtered at least 20 civilians, most of them foreigners, with sharp weapons before security forces on Saturday morning rescued 13 hostages and gunned down six gunmen, ending a long drawn-out overnight siege at a Bangladesh cafe popular with both locals as well as foreign visitors.
An Indian girl, identified as Tarishi Jain (19), is also among those killed by the ISIS militants.
"I am extremely pained to share that the terrorists have killed Tarushi, an Indian girl who was taken hostage in the terror attack in Dhaka," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted.
Gunshots and sounds of explosion rocked the area at 7:40 AM (local time) as security forces launched an offensive to end the siege at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's Gulshan diplomatic zone.
The commandos rescued 13 of the hostages. None of the terrorists could flee the scene, six of them were killed on the spot and one was captured alive. Earlier reports had suggested that over 30 people were held hostage, 20 of them being foreigners. Among those rescued were Indian, Sri Lankan and Japanese nationals, media reports said.
The hostage crisis followed a Friday night gun-battle with police that left at least two senior officers dead and 40 people injured. Fire-fighters rushed to the scene after the raid this morning with extinguishers, probably to put out flames from explosions. A medical team also rushed to the scene with stretchers.
PM Modi condemns attack in Dhaka
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called his Bangladeshi counterpart and condemned the despicable attack in the capital.
ISIS claims responsibility
Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack through its Amaq news agency, nearly four hours after the hostage crisis unfolded, according to the US-based SITE Intelligence group, which monitors jihadist activity online.
It later issued a number of photographs of what it said were scenes from inside the restaurant.
The pictures showed what appeared to be a number of bodies lying in pools of blood. Amaq also claimed that 20 people had been killed in the attack.
Heavy firing and explosions continued at least for an hour after the operation began this morning. A resident of a building, just 50 yards from the scene, reported spotting snipers firing from their guns.
Shots were also fired from armoured personnel carriers (APCs). Grenades were also apparently exploded. Later, the APCs broke through the walls and entered the restaurant premises. After hours of quiet at the Holey Artisan Bakery where terrorists were holding hostages, a fresh round of heavy gunfire rang out in the morning.
According to unconfirmed reports, at least one foreigner has been shot during the raid inside the cafe. Army men in armoured personnel carriers (APCs) had moved in with commandos. Over 1,000 rounds of gunshots were fired and almost 100 blasts were heard in the first half an hour of the raid, media reports said.
PM Hasina vows to root out terrorism
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said security forces "successfully" wrapped up their operation, freeing 13 hostages after killing six terrorists and capturing one militant at the Spanish restaurant.
"I thank Allah as we were able to eliminate the terrorists and rescue the hostages," she said at a function, an hour after army commandos, joined by other security and law enforcement agencies, freed the hostages.
"We could rescue 13 of the hostages, some with wounds... but none of the terrorists could flee the scene, six of them were killed on the spot and one was captured alive," Hasina said, without specifying the exact number of casualties in the hostage drama.
Hasina reaffirmed her commitment to eradicate militancy and terrorism saying, "Our government will do everything to uproot the militants and violent extremists in the country."
She also questioned the terrorists' identity as Muslims, saying, "What sort of Muslims are they?".
"They (gunmen) defied the call of Ramadan's (special) prayers and went to kill people...the way they killed people is intolerable. They don't have any religion...terrorism is their religion," Hasina said.
Last night, terrorists shouting "Allahu Akbar" barged into the Holey Artisan Bakery, frequented by diplomats and expatriates, and opened indiscriminate fire at around 9:20 PM (local time).
The military-led rescue operation today was launched jointly by a navy commando squad, paramilitary BGB, elite anti-crime RAB along with special police units.
Meanwhile, senior US officials believe that the attack has been probably carried out by al-Qaeda in the Indian Sub-continent, which was declared as a terrorist organisation by the US only a day earlier.
The deceased policemen have been identified as officer in-charge of nearby Banani police station, Salahuddin Ahmed and Additional Commissioner of Police Rabiul. An Argentine national and a local escaped after taking refuge in a nearby house when the gunmen entered the restaurant.
Police said they have detained two employees of the eatery for questioning.
The Muslim-majority Bangladesh has witnessed a wave of deadly attacks on religious minorities and secular bloggers by suspected Islamist militants.
A 48-year-old Hindu priest was today stabbed and critically injured by unidentified assailants in Bangladesh's Satkhira district. Earlier yesterday, a Hindu priest and a Buddhist leader were brutally hacked to death by machete-wielding Islamic State militants while another Hindu man survived a bid on his life.
