Siege of Lal Masjid
2007 Pakistani military standoff against the Taliban
The siege of Lal Masjid (Urdu: لال مسجد محاصرہ; code-named Operation Sunrise initially code-named as Operation Silence) was an armed confrontation in July 2007 between a Islamist fundamentalist private militia and the government of Pakistan, led by president Pervez Musharraf and prime minister Shaukat Aziz. The focal points of the operation were the Lal Masjid ("Red Mosque") and the Jamia Hafsa madrasah complex in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Lal Masjid had been operated by two brothers, Abdul Aziz and Abdul Rashid, while the adjacent Jamia Hafsa madrasah been operated by Abdul Aziz's wife Umme Hassan. They advocated the imposition of Sharia (Islamic religious law) in Pakistan and openly called for the overthrow of the Pakistani government. Lal Masjid was in constant conflict with the authorities in Islamabad for 18 months prior to the military operation. They engaged in violent demonstrations, destruction of property, kidnapping and arson. After a combination of events such as Jamia Hafsa vigilantes taking hostage the Chinese massage parlor's workers and militia members setting fire to the Ministry of Environment building and attacking the Pakistan Rangers personnel who guarded it, the military responded, and the siege of the Lal Masjid complex began. The military response was the result of not only pressure from locals but also diplomatic pressure from China and the United States.
The complex was besieged from 3 to 11 July 2007 and was eventually stormed and captured by the Pakistan Army's Special Service Group. The government reported that the operation resulted in 154 deaths, and the capture of 50 militia members.
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