At Least Two People Killed, Dozens of Hostages Taken in Bangladesh

Daesh, also known as IS/Islamic State, has claimed responsibility for an attack in Dhaka, Bangladesh in which at least two police officers have been killed and between 20 and 40 hostages taken.

As many as nine gunmen stormed a restaurant in the diplomatic zone of Dhaka on Friday. The suspects are heavily armed and equipped with grenades. Reports suggest multiple injuries.

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"Some derailed youth have entered the restaurant and launched the attack," Benazir Ahmed, director general of the anti-crime force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), told reporters. "We have talked to some of the people who fled the restaurant after the attack. We want to resolve this peacefully. We are trying to talk to the attackers, we want to listen to them about what they want."

The restaurant is reportedly popular among foreigners.

Bangladeshi security personnel stand guard near a restaurant that has reportedly been attacked by unidentified gunmen in Dhaka, Bangladesh

© AP Photo

Bangladesh has seen an increase in violence in recent months. Since 2013, roughly two dozen people have been killed by militants. Earlier on Friday, three assailants killed a Hindu temple worker in the country's southwest.