Pakistan ? Terrorists wanted for attacks in Pakistan and beyond are leading the resistance against troops besieging a radical mosque in the capital, the government said, while a mosque spokesman claimed hundreds of people died in a military assault.

It was impossible to verify either claim in the escalating battle of gunfire and rhetoric between the government and the defenders of Islamabad’s Red Mosque.

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf sent in troops Wednesday, a day after supporters of the mosque’s radical clerics fought gunbattles with security forces sent to contain their campaign to impose Taliban-style rule in the capital.

At least 24 people have died so far, including a special forces commando shot as the military blasted holes in the walls of the fortified compound.

Officials said they hoped hundreds of students allegedly being held hostage in the mosque could use the gaps to escape.