Pak tightens noose around Lal Masjid, death toll at 21

New Delhi: Security forces in Pakistan have tightened their noose round the Lal Masjid in Islamabad. The standoff between the Pakistani government and Islamic radicals at the mosque entered the sixth day on Sunday.

Hundreds of troops have surrounded the fortified compound of the mosque.

Security forces blew up a part of the compound wall early on Sunday morning. An officer was killed and one commando wounded in the ensuing exchange of fire with students and clerics holed up inside the mosque. The death toll in the standoff is now 21.

The situation continues to be tense after President Pervez Musharraf told the defiant leaders barricaded inside to either surrender or die.

Hundreds of troops have been surrounding the Lal Masjid since Tuesday when clashes between armed students and security forces began after months of tension.

Security forces have not mounted a full-scale assault on the compound because of fears for the safety of hundreds of women and children who the government says are being held as human shields.

Instead, troops have been blasting holes in the wall to provide escape routes for those inside.

The cleric leading the Lal Masjid's Taliban-style movement, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, said up to 80 people had been killed inside his compound. However, the government has dismissed his claims.

Ghazi has refused to surrender, saying he would prefer “martyrdom”.

Pakistan on the edge

The Lal Masjid has been a hotbed of radicals for years, known for its support for the Taliban in Afghanistan and opposition to Musharraf's backing for the US-led campaign against terrorism.

Musharraf, in his first public comment on the confrontation, said the radicals had no option but to surrender. "If they don't surrender, I'm saying it here, they will be killed," Musharraf said.

Water, gas and power to the mosque were cut and food was said to be running short.

Meanwhile, security forces have occupied another city madrassa linked to the Lal Masjid.

Ghazi said he and his followers would lay down their weapons but would never accept arrest.

"If compromise means bowing down it's unacceptable to my boys, my girls and me," he told ARY Television.

About 1,200 students left the mosque after the clashes began but only about 20 have come out since Friday.

(With agency inputs)