Bangladesh Commando Raid Kills at Least 6 Islamic Militants, 13 Hostages Rescued

A police official in Bangladesh told the Associated Press that at least 6 Islamist terrorists and others have been captured following a commando-led raid to rescue hostages. The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack at an upscale restaurant in the capital of Dhaka, the terror group’s Amaq News agency said.

Several armed Islamic terrorists armed and shouting “Allahu Akbar” detonated explosives and took multiple hostages. An official said there was casualties among the hostages, but did not give specific numbers.

Approximately three hours after the raid began, police Lt. Col. Tuhin Mohammad Masud confirmed that the restaurant’s main building had been cleared and at least 13 hostages had been rescued. However, Lt. Col. Masud noted that “the operation is still going on” also said there were casualties among the hostages, but declined to give further detail.

The nationalities of the hostages are unknown, but the U.S. State Department confirmed all Americans working at the U.S. mission in the area are accounted for.

“We have accounted for all Americans working for the chiefof mission authority” in Dhaka, Admiral John Kirby, a spokesman for the State Department said. He called the situation “fluid.” The Japanese government said that 7 of their citizens are unaccounted for.

Bangladesh has seen a significant increase in Islamic terrorist attacks since 2015. ISIS last November called for attacks in Bangladesh in an article published in Dabiq, its online magazine. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has cracked down on domestic radical Islamists and his government has accused local terrorists and opposition political parties–specifically the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its Islamist ally Jamaat-e-Islami–of being behind the violence with the aim to destabilize the nation.

Both parties deny.