Update 3:54 p.m.: Two police officers have been killed in the shootout with at least six gunmen, officials announced. The New York Times' Rukmini Callimachi reported that the Islamic State's news agency Amaq has claimed responsibility for the ongoing standoff. Our original post appears below.
Gunmen have taken an estimated 20 people hostage in a popular cafe near the diplomatic zone of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, officials reported Friday. Several foreigners are among those being held, and three people are reported to be wounded after police exchanged gunfire with the attackers.
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