About 'Operation Silence'
The Lal Masjid siege was the conflict centering around the Lal Masjid mosque and madrasah complex in Islamabad.
The Lal Masjid siege was the conflict centering around the Lal Masjid mosque and madrasah complex in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, that was besieged from July 3 to 11, 2007.
Lal Masjid is a radical mosque that followed the Deobandi school of thought and is affiliated with the Jamia Hafsa madrasa.
Formerly frequented by the Pakistani elite, Lal Masjid, including Pakistani military leaders and ministers of the Pakistani government, became the site of a conflict between Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa students and supporters and Pakistani security forces, including the Pakistan Rangers and Islamabad Capital Territory police.
Following a breakdown in negotiations, Pakistani commandos stormed the mosque after 4 am on July 10. By mid-day on July 11, the mosque compound was finally cleared. At least 53 rebels and 10 soldiers were reported killed in the fighting, the Pakistani government stated that 73 bodies were found on the grounds of the Mosque after fighting ended on July 12.