headquarters . It is located inside a walled residential compound where many military families have homes . A witness told GEO TV there were up to 300 worshippers at the mosque at the time of the attack . The militants hurled grenades before opening fire , Rawalpindi Police Chief Aslam Tareen told CNN . He said all the militants died , but he does n't know how . `` These are not militants , '' Abbas said . `` These are terrorists who killed innocent worshippers . '' Retired Gen. Muhammad Yousaf was killed in the attack , said Col. Baseer Haider , a military spokesman . He said Yousaf was a former vice chief of army staff who was second in command during the administration of President Pervez Musharraf . Abbas said two of the attackers were suicide bombers who blew themselves up inside the Parade Lane mosque ; the other two were shot and killed by security forces outside the mosque . Several explosions were heard inside the mosque around 1:30 p.m. -LRB- 3:30 a.m. ET -RRB- , followed by gunfire , Abbas said . The militants entered the compound by climbing over a wall , Tareen said
Islamabad , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Four militants armed with guns and grenades stormed a mosque in Rawalpindi frequented by military personnel , killing dozens of people Friday -- most of them children , the military said . The attack is the latest to shake the garrison city since this year 's launch of strong military offensives against Taliban insurgents in the Swat Valley and South Waziristan . Rawalpindi is the headquarters of the Pakistani army . Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said Friday 's assault killed 36 people and wounded 75 . Among the dead were 17 children , according to the military 's Web site . Also killed were an army general and eight other military officials , six of them of senior rank . The remaining fatalities were adults . `` As soon as the mosque 's security staff checked me , there was a blast and then a finger hit me , then there was another , '' Ishtiaq , a driver for a military officer , told GEO TV . Ishtiaq , who uses only one name , was attending midday prayers . Rawalpindi is near Islamabad , and the mosque is near national army