Cannot yet confirm if 'IS' behind 'Dhaka attack': US State Department

The United States State Department has said it cannot yet confirm the link of the hostage crisis at a restaurant in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka with the terror group Islamic State (IS) though the group reportedly claimed credit for the attack.

"We have seen ISIL claims of responsibility, but cannot yet confirm and are assessing the information available to us," the Daily Star quoted U.S. State Department Spokesperson John Kirby, a saying in a statement.

The statement was issued after the crisis unfolded in Dhaka, where gunmen took hostages Friday night.

"We join with the people of Bangladesh in expressing our outrage at this brutal act of terrorism and offer our condolences to the friends and families of the victims, including Bangladeshi law enforcement officials who have been killed or injured responding to the attack," the statement read.

The statement read, "We are working with the local authorities to determine if any US citizens and locally-employed staff were affected."

It said that as the news reached, the embassy issued a shelter-in-place order.

"This order was issued out of caution, but at no time was the embassy compound itself under immediate threat from this attack."

The statement also read that the U.S. officials are in "ongoing contact with the government of Bangladesh" as the situation continues to unfold.

"We have offered our assistance in their efforts to bring to justice those responsible for these attacks and to combat terrorism and violent extremism," the statement read.

Around 13 hostages have been rescued so far by the security forces which stormed this morning into the Dhaka restaurant to end an unprecedented hostage crisis, where it was believed that around 20 people were kept as hostage since last night.

Earlier, it was also reported that Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Gowher Rizvi, an adviser to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, had earlier said that the security forces could launch an offensive to end the siege in case they fail to negotiate a way out of the crisis.

The assailants, who are believed to be carrying assault rifles and grenades, exchanged gun fire with police outside for several hours after the attack which began around 9 p.m..