The order from on high was to end the standoff.

"We're prepared to go in and end the standoff," Mott said.

But there was no way to end the standoff apart from ending Hussein's dictatorship.

You can see how they might come in handy, say, if someone's been taken hostage and negotiators are working to end the standoff safely.

He appealed to the group to leave voluntarily and end the standoff.

The result, he said, could be "less unity among them," which would give agents a better chance to end the standoff peacefully.

Nevertheless, the time had come to end the standoff, regardless of the outcome.

On 19 January, 11 militants and 7 hostages were killed in a final assault to end the standoff.

The friend went to the plant in an effort to end the standoff, the sheriff said.

There was no immediate sign of a breakthrough to end the standoff.