15 Killed as Islamists Battle Bangladesh Cops

At least 15 people died in clashes between police and Islamic hardliners demanding that Bangladesh implement an anti-blasphemy law, authorities said. A police official, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said eight people, including two policemen and a paramilitary soldier, were killed in clashes just outside the capital, Dhaka, and another seven died in the city itself. The protesters blocked roads in the area with burning tires and logs during more than five hours of clashes. The government in the Muslim-majority nation has rejected the hardliners' demands, saying Bangladesh is governed by secular laws. (More Bangladesh stories.)