By DPA
Washington : The seizure of the Red Mosque in Pakistan by radical Islamists shows the danger of extremism, the White House said Tuesday.
Pakistani authorities stormed the mosque overnight, trying to end the standoff that had dragged on for weeks between President Pervez Musharraf and radical clerics who want to impose Islamic law on the country.
"That's an internal matter for the Pakistani government to address," said Scott Stanzel, a White House spokesman. "What remains clear is, in places throughout the world the threat of extremists is real."
Pakistani forces entered the heavily fortified mosque and religious school in capital Islamabad. The intense fighting was winding down after about 14 hours as soldiers were stamping out the remaining resistance in the system of underground bunkers.