Hostages butchered in Dhaka

DHAKA: Islamist militants armed with sharp weapons slaughtered 20 people, including a young Indian woman, at an upscale café in Dhaka before government forces stormed

DHAKA: Islamist militants armed with sharp weapons slaughtered 20 people, including a young Indian woman, at an upscale café in Dhaka before government forces stormed the building to end a 12-hour standoff on Saturday.

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The Islamic State (IS) said it was responsible for the attack, but that claim is yet to be confirmed by Dhaka which has in the past denied the presence of the group on its soil.

Hours before the government announced the fatalities, the IS’s news agency Amaq said 20 hostages, mostly foreigners, had been killed. It also posted photos of bodies and blood smeared across floors that it said were dead foreigners at the popular Holey Artisan Bakery. Indian and western intelligence agencies told Hindustan Times the attack was carried out by the IS’s Bangladeshi module.

Among those killed was Tarishi Jain, 19, whose family moved to Dhaka about 20 years ago, and who was on a break from classes at University of California, Berkeley.

Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted: “Extremely pained to share that the terrorists have killed Tarushi, an Indian girl who was taken hostage in the terror attack in Dhaka,” using a different spelling for the victim’s name.

Another Indian national, a doctor identified only as Satyapal, had a lucky escape after he spoke Bengali and posed as a Bangladeshi, sources said.

Reports quoted survivors as saying the militants told locals to stay out of the way, and hacked and butchered those who couldn’t recite from the Quran. One of the attackers cursed a diner for sitting with non-Muslims during Ramzan.

Ali Arsalan, co-owner of the restaurant located in Dhaka’s diplomatic area, said his staff told him the attackers shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is Great) as they stormed the building around 9pm on Friday.

About 7.40am Saturday, Bangladeshi troops stormed the bakery, killing six of the attackers and detaining a seventh.

Nine Italians, seven Japanese nationals and a US national were among the dead. Thirteen hostages were rescued, including one Japanese national and two Sri Lankans.

The attack marks a major escalation in a campaign by militants over the past 18 months that had targeted mostly individuals advocating a secular or liberal lifestyle in majority-Muslim Bangladesh.

Among those dead was the wife of an Italian businessman killed by a machete. She was found by her husband after he spent all night hiding behind a tree outside the cafe while the gunmen were inside, said Agnese Barolo, a friend who lives in Dhaka and spoke to him.

The hostage crisis began when security guards in the Gulshan district of Dhaka, popular with expatriates, noticed several gunmen outside a medical centre, officials said. When the guards approached, the gunmen ran into a building housing the restaurant, packed with people waiting for tables.

Police said the assailants exchanged sporadic gunfire with police outside for several hours.

Prime Minister Sheikh Has in a condemned the attack and vowed to fight the militants.

“Anyone who believes in religion cannot do such act,” Hasina said in a nationally televised speech. “They do not have any religion, their only religion is terrorism.”

(With input from agencies)