Pakistani forces have killed a rebel cleric and more than 50 Islamist militants after 15 hours of fighting in the compound of an Islamabad mosque to end a week-long siege.Militants mounted a last stand in the basement of a religious school where cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi was killed, the Interior Ministry said.
There was no immediate word on the fate of women and children he was said to have used as human shields.
At least eight soldiers were killed in the operation, bringing the number of dead to about 60 in total.
"Ghazi was surrounded by the militants who did not let him surrender and he was killed in the crossfire," Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said.
Mr Cheema said some surviving militants fought on after Ghazi was killed at the climax of the siege of the Lal Masjid, the Red Mosque, in the heart of the Pakistani capital.
"The operation is in its last stages. There are one or two areas to be cleared," military spokesman Major-General Waheed Arshad said.
"When the operation is finished we'll start picking up bodies," he said, adding that the latest assessment was that "more than 50" militants had been killed.
At least eight soldiers were killed and 29 wounded during the storming of the compound.
Meanwhile the US has backed the decision to storm the mosque.
The government of Pakistan has proceeded in a responsible way on this issue," said Tom Casey, a State Department spokesman, noting that authorities had given "ample" opportunities for the militants to surrender peacefully through negotiations.
"They have made a number of efforts to try and resolve this peacefully. Certainly, no-one wants to see loss of life and certainly loss of innocent lives in this process," he added.
"Ultimately, all governments have responsibility to preserve order and to try and take steps against terrorists and those that commit criminal actions too."
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