The deadly attack on the army GHQ ended on Sunday morning with commandos freeing 39 hostages [AFP]

The commando operation, launched in the early hours of Sunday, left three hostages, two soldiers and four suspected fighters dead, according to a Pakistani military spokesman.

Six soldiers and four suspected fighters had already been killed in the siege of the army general headquarters (GHQ), which began on Saturday.

Major-General Athar Abbas gave few other details but said that 20 of the hostages had been kept in a room, guarded by one of the fighters who was wearing a suicide vest.

The man was shot before he managed to detonate the vest, Abbas said.

People in Rawalpindi were less impressed with the storming of the GHQ or the investigation that has begun.

Residents insecure

A Rawalpindi resident said: "This is very dangerous. If this happens at army headquarters, despite tight security, then it is going to be tough for ordinary citizens."

Another Pakistani citizen said: "Everyone in Pakistan is at risk. Anyone leaving their house cannot be sure whether he or she will return alive."

The assault on the GHQ began when a group of armed men, dressed as soldiers, attacked the army compound, sparking a gun battle that killed four fighters and six soldiers.

The remaining fighters took hostages, whom Abbas earlier described as security personnel, and barricaded themselves in a nearby office.

The military surrounded the compound and the ensuing siege lasted for more than 18 hours.

It was unclear who was behind the attack, but Rehman Malik, Pakistan's interior minister, pointed the finger at the Taliban.

"We are very sure it was done by the Taliban ... after having their back broken in Swat they wanted to react and they have reacted," he said on Saturday.

"All this leads to the South Waziristan. Now we have no option except to go into Warizistan."

Malik said that the fighters had spent months planning their assault. "These terrorists had rented a house near Islamabad for the last two months preparing themselves," he said.

"We recovered fuses that are used in suicide jackets from the house."

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