ISLAMABAD, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi, deputy chief of the Lal Masjid, was in a room with women and children, the Pakistani government said Tuesday.

    The security forces had advanced to the southern part of Jamia Hafsa in the mosque, where the remaining militants were confined, a statement of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

    The army had been asking the militants in the mosque to surrender, Federal Minister for Interior Aftab Sherpao said, adding that the troops had cleared the Lal Masjid area and conducting search of basements in the mosque complex.

    More commandos had reached the mosque to take part in the operation, according to a private TV channel DAWN NEWS.

    Between 40 to 50 militants were killed in the massive operation on Tuesday morning, DAWN NEWS quoted Sherpao as saying.

    The military launched the Operation Silence at 4 a.m. local time Tuesday (2300 GMT Monday) after failure of talks to persuade the militants to surrender.

    The talks between the government and Lal Masjid administration failed due to foreign militants in the mosque, a TV channel Geo reported.