An hour of blood and gore

Seven policemen, including Superintendent of Police Haider Ashraf, were injured in the exchange of fire with the terrorists.

Police brought the situation at the Model Town mosque under control a little over an hour after the attack began.

The operation to clear the mosque at Garhi Shahu, where several terrorists took up positions on a minaret and the rooftop, ended after 4 pm local time. Witnesses said several of the terrorists who stormed the mosques were wearing suicide vests. They entered the mosques after killing policemen and security guards deployed at the gates.

Dramatic footage

TV channels aired dramatic footage of policemen advancing towards the mosques and exchanging fire with the attackers. They also beamed footage of terrorists firing at security forces from a minaret and the rooftop of the mosque in Garhi Shahu. Police and paramilitary forces surrounded the two mosques and took up positions on roads and rooftops around the mosques.

Both mosques are frequented by over 1,500 worshippers, including women, on Fridays. Hundreds of people were inside when the terrorists stormed the mosques. Some men and women locked themselves up in rooms and prayer halls.

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