ISIS gunmen take hostages at cafe in Bangladesh

Bangladesh: About 20 people including several foreign expatriates have been taken hostage at a restaurant by gunmen in the diplomatic quarter of Ghaka capital of Bangladeshi on Friday night. 
The Islamic State laid claim to the attack stating that more than 20 people had been killed, although police have so far confirmed the deaths of two policemen.

According to the police, about eight to nine gunmen had stormed the Holey Artisan restaurant in the upscale Gulshan area of Dhaka.
Hours after the attack began on Friday at about 9pm local time, the gunmen then exchanged gun fire with police outside.

The police said, two police officials died in the attack and at least 15 people were wounded.

A duty officer at the Rapid Action Battalion's control room in Dhaka said the gun battles had stopped and the hostages were unharmed.

"We are discussing ways to rescue the people, including foreigners, who are inside the cafe," police official Mohammad Habibur Rahman said.

"Our priority is to rescue them peacefully without the loss of any life."

An eye witness, Sumon Reza, a kitchen staff who escaped the mayhem, said the men chanted "Allahu Akbar" as they carried out the attack. At least 35 people were in the kitchen when the attackers stormed the venue, but Reza escaped to the roof of the building 10 others. 

Chief of Bangladesh's special police force, Benjir Ahmed, earlier stated that police were preparing to launch an operation to rescue the hostages claiming that the gunmen had threw bombs at police.

"Some of our people have been injured. Our first priority is to save the lives of the people trapped inside." said Ahmed.

A large number of policemen and personnel from the RAB have cordoned off the area. Security personnel were seen warding off people crowding the cordon.