An embarrassing 22-hour military drama ended after Pakistani commandos freed dozens of hostages held by militants at the army’s own headquarters Sunday.

At least 19 people died in the standoff, including three captives and eight of the militants, who wore army fatigues in the audacious assault. The military said that the rescue operation began before dawn Sunday, ultimately freeing 42 hostages.

The militants’ alleged ringleader was captured.

The attack on the nerve center of the army, Pakistan’s most powerful institution, showed the continued strength of insurgents allied with al-Qaida and the Taliban despite military operations and US missile strikes that have battered their ranks. It was the third major attack in Pakistan in a week.

The siege only steeled its resolve to go through with an offensive in South Waziristan, a tribal region along the Afghan border and a major militant stronghold, officials said. The US and Pakistan’s other Western allies want Islamabad to take more action against insurgents also blamed for soaring attacks on US and NATO troops in Afghanistan.

(via ABC News)