Since 8.15am, hostages, including women and children, were seen rushing out of the eatery one after another. Heavy firing and explosions continued for at least an hour after the operation had begun to free the hostages. Read: Dhaka restaurant siege: 20 hostages, two policemen killed in IS attackAround 7.40am, security forces stormed the café in the Gulshan diplomatic zone and several hostages were freed minutes after the offensive began, a witness told bdnews24.com. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who called the incident a ‘militant attack’, said later in the morning that 13 hostages were saved. Blood was seen in front of the gate of the café’s main building when security officials were leaving it.

Source: Hindustan Times July 02, 2016 15:33 UTC