Bangladesh army official says 20 killed in attack on Dhaka restaurant

Dhaka, July 2: Bangladeshi police stormed a restaurant in the capital Dhaka and rescued up to 13 hostages on Saturday after an attack claimed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil)reportedly killed 20 people.

Gunmen attacked the upscale cafe in the diplomatic area of Dhaka late on Friday and had been holding about 20 hostages, including foreigners, before police poured into the building to try to free those stuck inside.

A police officer at the scene said that when security forces tried to enter the premises at the beginning of the siege they met a hail of bullets and grenades. At least six militants were killed in the operation, while two police officers died.

The raid to free the hostages began at 7.40am local time, around 10 hours after the siege began. The gunfire stopped about 45 minutes later.