A stand off is taking place around a mosque in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, involving thousands of troops and radical Islamic students.
At least 21 people are known to have died when Pakistani commandos raided the compound of a mosque in the capital, Islamabad, which is being occupied by Islamic militants.
A Pakistani officer was shot dead by students inside the Red Mosque during the night.
The Army have blasted holes in the mosque's walls to allow hundreds of women and children in the building, whom the Pakistani authorities describe as human shields to escape.
Security forces have not mounted a full-scale assault on the compound because of fears for the safety of the women and children.
