The Pakistani army was preparing for a major anti-Taliban operation Pakistani security forces have freed about 40 hostages who were being held by militants at an army base in Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad. Military officials said three hostages and two soldiers died in the operation along with at least four militants, one of whom was wearing an explosives belt. One insurgent was wounded but arrested alive. Military officials say the operation is now over. The insurgents had attacked Pakistan's military HQ on Saturday. Six soldiers and four militants were killed in the initial assault. "The operation is over. It was highly successful," military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas told Pakistani television. "The situation is now totally under control. The entire area has been cleared. There are no terrorists inside," he said. But the BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Islamabad says it is a huge embarrassment for the military that one of the country's most sensitive areas has been attacked. Interior Minister Rehman Malik said an operation against militants in South Waziristan was now inevitable. "Now the government has no other option but to launch an offensive," he said. "What happened in Peshawar, Islamabad and today, all roads lead to South Waziristan." 'Very skilled' The sound of blasts and gunfire rang out as Pakistani special forces entered the compound for the pre-dawn raid. Gen Abbas said the forces had met resistance in what he described as a "very skilled" operation. ANALYSIS Aleem Maqbool, BBC News, Islamabad This has been an audacious attack by militants with a level of coordination and sophistication. While Pakistan is claiming the rescue operation was a success, it's a huge embarrassment that one of the most secure areas in Pakistan - where top military officials are based - has been attacked. Many people here are nervous that the body supposed to protect them has been attacked at its very heart. They found the hostages being held in a room "with a terrorist who was wearing a suicide jacket", he said. Gen Abbas said the commandos had "acted promptly" and shot the suspected hostage taker "before he could pull the trigger". "Three of the hostages were killed due to militant firing," Reuters quoted him as saying. Senior military officials and civilian personnel were reported to be among the hostages. The attack came as the army was preparing for a major operation against the Taliban, and officials said the militant group had claimed responsibility. The Taliban had been threatening to carry out attacks unless operations against it were stopped. High profile Witnesses said that the gunmen had driven up to the army compound in a white van just before midday local time (0600 GMT) on Saturday. RECENT MILITANT ATTACKS 24 Sept - Seven pro-government tribal elders killed by militants in town of Janikhel, north-western Pakistan 26 Sept - At least 16 people killed in two suicide car bombs, in Peshawar and Bannu 5 Oct - Suicide bomber attacks UN offices in Islamabad killing five 9 Oct - At least 50 killed in suspected suicide bombing in Peshawar
In pictures: Pakistan shoot-out They took up positions, fired on the compound and threw hand grenades, security officials said. The military reported that the attack had been repelled after a gun battle lasting around 45 minutes but later admitted hostages had been taken. The attack followed a series of bombings in north-western Pakistan. On Friday at least 50 died in a blast in Peshawar. In recent days Taliban positions in the tribal areas have been bombed by the air force, amid speculation that the army's offensive there is soon to be intensified, says our correspondent. There was a period of relative quiet in August after Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud was killed, but the rate of militant attacks has increased since then, he adds. Islamist militants have carried out a number of attacks against high-profile, high-security targets in recent years. In March this year gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team in the city of Lahore. Six policemen and a driver were killed and several of the team were injured. In the same month, dozens of people were killed when a police training centre on the outskirts of the city was occupied by gunmen.
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22 hostages were freed after military commandos raided a Pakistan army headquarters in Rawalpindi on Sunday that had been taken by militants, reports said. Four militants and three hostages had been killed in the resulting clashes including two senior officers.

The incident began midday on Saturday when several gunmen, disguised in military uniforms, attacked a checkpoint outside the heavily guarded headquarters. The  initially said it had the situation under control about an hour after the attack, however, it had been discovered later that some of the militants had escaped into a security office building and were holding hostages.

"Eight to 10 terrorists were involved in this attack," Pakistani army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said. He was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying that "three of the hostages were killed due to militant firing." 

No group has yet claimed responsibility for this attack. 

On Monday, a suicide bomber disguised in a paramilitary uniform attacked a UN office in nearby Islamabad, and on Friday, a suspected suicide car-bomber killed some 50 people in Peshawar. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the UN bombing and threatened to target other international organizations and Pakistani government and military locations.

In response to the attacks, Pakistani leaders have vowed to start a new offensive against militants in the country's tribal regions along the Afghan border.