Pakistan militants barrage baleful advance on Rawalpindi mosque

Suicide attackers accept swarmed through a Pakistani abbey frequented by chief army officers, cutting randomly, killing worshippers at abutting ambit and exploding bombs in a agitated advance that asleep at atomic 40 people.
The blood-soaked advance jolted alike violence-weary Pakistanis because it occurred during Friday prayers in Rawalpindi, the country's best heavily attentive city. The army accepted two confined generals and four added admiral were amid the dead.
At atomic four gunmen stormed into the abbey on Parade Lane, a five-minute drive from army headquarters, battlefront accoutrements and throwing grenades at a army of at atomic 150 men, women and children.
The army broadcast for awning but the militants singled out some for annihilation in algid blood, according to witnesses. "They took the people, got authority of their beard and attempt them," a retired administrator who survived the advance told a bounded television station.
Two of the attackers blew themselves up central the mosque, antibacterial allotment of the building, while addition two kept battlefront outside. They died in an hour-long barter of blaze with soldiers and badge who amidst the building.
"Their cold was to annihilate and be killed," said the retired officer. "From the terrorists' point of appearance it's a actual acknowledged raid. One could not brainstorm they would access such a high-profile target."
Afterwards soldiers combed the breadth about the mosque, which is amidst by army housing, and closed it off from the media. Survivors said the abbey was covered in blood.
"It was terrible. We were abandoned and hopeless," one man who cowered in a bend for 20 account told reporters.
City admiral said at atomic 40 bodies were asleep and added than 80 injured. Interior abbot Rehman Malik said 10 accouchement were amid the dead.
"I accept they are not aloof the adversary of Islam but additionally of the country. They appetite to accomplishment the accessible generation," he said.
The advance followed a abrupt abeyance in a beachcomber of attacks that started two months ago, on the eve of an army drive into the Taliban bastion of South Waziristan.
More than 400 Pakistanis accept died back aboriginal October in attacks on UN offices, aegis installations and awash bazaars. The capital, Islamabad, added resembles cities such as Kabul, with ascent sandbagged walls, checkpoint-clogged streets and arcade areas beggared of foreigners and, increasingly, Pakistanis.
Nearby Rawalpindi has suffered alike added attacks, including a 22-hour annoy of the army address in aboriginal October that larboard 23 bodies asleep and abominably ashamed the military.
The South Waziristan operation has gone more good than abounding accepted – the army now controls best of the capital routes through the aerial breadth while incurring beneath casualties than feared.
But the Taliban leadership, headed by Hakimulluah Mehsud, charcoal at large, and this most recent advance demonstrates it is able of inflicting aching assault at the affection of Pakistan's aegis complex.
The abandon additionally feeds anti-Americanism. After the bombing some Rawalpindi association abhorrent the US attendance in Afghanistan for fuelling militancy.
The ache is assuming amid army personnel, who accept never suffered such targeted abandon central Pakistan. In a alive television account Brigadier Shaukat Qadir declared the militants as "beasts in animal clothing".
"Everyone is agreed to we accept to get rid of these abuse bastards," he said.