Egyptian police stormed a town in southern Egypt Monday, freeing at least 160 hostages and ending a six-day standoff with a band of drug and weapons traffickers, authorities said. At least one gunman was shot dead, The AP reported.
The battle started at dawn with police firing rocket-propelled grenades and mortars to force their way into the center of Nakhilah. The gunmen surrendered in the afternoon, releasing at least 160 civilians they had been holding, the report added.
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
