"They were patient and waited for a long time outside the mosque."

Now a police officer patrols outside the tiny mosque, just to be safe.

Outside the mosque a secret police agent keeps a sleepy watch.

The details of what happened outside the mosque are still incomplete.

Gunmen standing outside the mosque said they were preparing to fight back and had asked the American military for help.

But he continued to preach on the road just outside the mosque.

"First they killed security guards outside the mosque," he said.

By late afternoon, the tension outside the mosque was palpable.

Some Muslim women believe that the cover need not be worn outside the mosque.

A man outside the mosque sobbed, saying he was trying to find his elderly mother.