More than 1,000 radical Islamic students at Islamabad's besieged Red Mosque (Lal Masjid) have surrendered to security forces, Pakistani officials say, but a tense stand-off continues.
The move comes two days after clashes between the army and the students, in which at least 16 people were killed and a number of others injured.
The army is tightening its grip on the mosque, which has been at the forefront of a campaign to enforce a form of Sharia law in Pakistan.
The mosque's head cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz - who was seized as he tried to leave the building wearing a burka - said nearly 1,000 people - some armed - were still holed up inside.
Many of those inside the mosque compound are women and girls, and female students were among those led away.
Police have been fingerprinting the detainees at a camp set up near the mosque.
A number of people have been placed in police custody.
Worried relatives of the students have been waiting for news outside the mosque.
Barbed wire has been laid down near the compound, and surrounding areas have been subject to a curfew.
A fresh contingent of troops has arrived but there has been no move so far to storm the mosque.
|
Bookmark with:
What are these?