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4:12 AM
About 200 people were freed from Mumbai’s Oberoi-Trident hotel complex as Indian commandos attempted to root out terrorists still in the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel, police said. An operation was under way to free hostages from a Jewish center in the city.
Attacks on two hotel complexes and several other locations in India’s commercial center late Nov. 26 left 121 people, including 15 policemen, dead and 370 injured in fighting more than 36 hours after militants first struck. Nine terrorists were killed and one, a Pakistani, was arrested, said R.R. Patil, deputy chief minister of the state of Maharashtra. The attackers arrived in Mumbai from the sea, Patil told reporters.
At least eight soldiers descended from helicopters early today onto the roof of the Jewish center at Nariman House, where as many as three gunmen may be holding six Israelis hostage, officials said. Heavy gunfire and explosions broke out at the center, the Associated Press said. Blasts were heard at the luxury Taj, where six hostages were freed, Times Now said.
The Oberoi-Trident complex was cleared of assailants today and 24 bodies were recovered, an Indian national security guard said on television. Two terrorists were killed at the Trident, where guests were receiving first aid.
“We are in the final stages of operations,” said Army Lieutenant General N. Thamburaj. About 93 people were freed from the Oberoi today and it was unclear how many guests or staff remained inside, police said. Thirty bodies were recovered from a hall in the Taj. Bodies and blood were in evidence everywhere in the hotel, Navy commandos said.
Westerners Targeted
Eight foreigners were among those killed in the coordinated shootings and explosions across India’s financial hub two days ago. The targeting of Westerners marks a shift in tactics for Islamic militants in India as they strike the international links that have helped the country’s economy grow at 9 percent or more for each of the past three years. Elements in Pakistan are responsible for the attacks, the Press Trust of India cited External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee as saying.
Commandos slid down ropes dangling from helicopters onto the roof of the Jewish center at about 7:15 a.m. local time.
“We have word of a rescue operation taking place, but no information of any hostages being freed or released yet,” said Andy David, deputy spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
The building is home to the Chabad-Lubavitch Center, a Brooklyn-based Hassidic group. A rabbi, his wife and several other people were being held hostage, Menachem Brod, a spokesman for Chabad, said earlier.
Operation Watched
Television images showed a commando clad in black firing from an automatic weapon at a window from the roof of a neighboring building.
Hundreds of onlookers, some with binoculars, stood in the street trying to get a glimpse of the operation.
There were similar scenes at the Oberoi, as rescued guests, many clutching passports and bags, were loaded into buses and cars by authorities. Fifteen Air France staff members were freed from one of the hotels, the airline said.
“This was a very planned and orchestrated attack, suggesting a more professional terrorist hand at work,” said Rory Medcalf, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute’s program director for international security.
Extremists within India are concerned about the government’s “closer alignment with the West,” Medcalf, a former official at the Australian High Commission in New Delhi, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.
Three U.S. citizens were injured, according to the State Department. Two Australians, a Briton, a Japanese and an Italian are confirmed dead, authorities said. One Canadian was also killed, Agence France-Presse reported. Twenty-two foreign nationals were among those injured in the attacks, according to Mumbai police. No U.K. citizens are being held hostage, U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.
India Targeted
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was keeping President George W. Bush up to date on the situation in Mumbai, the White House said. Embassy personnel were visiting hospitals and hotels to locate and identify any injured U.S. citizens.
Multiple attacks have rocked India’s cities with bombs planted in markets, theaters and near mosques this year leaving more than 300 people dead.
“We came up against highly motivated terrorists,” Vice- Admiral J.S. Bedi, whose commandos led the assault against the militants, said in televised comments. He showed pictures of recovered hand grenades, tear gas shells and AK47 magazines.
A little known Islamist group called the Deccan Mujahedeen claimed responsibility for the attacks, PTI reported.
Well-Planned Attacks
India will “go after” individuals and organizations behind the attacks, which were “well-planned with external linkages,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a televised address, without identifying nations.
Local media often blame attacks on groups backed by Pakistan or Bangladesh, without identifying the security officials who provided the information. Both countries have denied sponsoring terrorist attacks in India.
The attacks in Mumbai show India’s home-grown Islamic militant movement is aligning its campaign with those in the broader Muslim world, while seeking to hit economic interests, intelligence analysts said.
The Indian Navy captured a ship that was suspected of dropping the terrorists off the coast of Mumbai in speed boats, the IBN7 television channel reported. The Vietnam-registered ship, MV Alfa, allegedly came from Karachi, Pakistan, according to the report. Navy commandos said the ship was released after it had been checked.
Unfair on Pakistan
“It is unfair to blame Pakistan or Pakistanis for these acts of terrorism even before an investigation is undertaken,” Pakistan’s Ambassador to the U.S. Husain Haqqani said in a statement. “Instead of scoring political points at the expense of a neighboring country that is itself a victim of terrorism, it is time for India’s leaders to work together with Pakistan’s elected leaders in putting up a joint front against terrorism.”
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will meet with Singh today to personally offer Pakistan’s condolences for the Mumbai attacks, the official Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
The Indian government will have little choice but to blame the attacks on Pakistan, Stratfor, a private intelligence company in Austin, Texas, said in a statement.
Singh’s government would face a political backlash for security failings if it said the assaults were carried out by a domestic group, Stratfor said. Blaming Pakistan, however, could strain ties between the nuclear-armed neighbors as they try to advance their more than 5-year-old peace process.
To contact the reporters on this story: Anil Varma in Mumbai at avarma3@bloomberg.net; Chitra Somayaji in Mumbai at csomayaji@bloomberg.net; Vipin V. Nair in Mumbai at vnair12@bloomberg.net.
Source: bloomberg.com
Attacks on two hotel complexes and several other locations in India’s commercial center late Nov. 26 left 121 people, including 15 policemen, dead and 370 injured in fighting more than 36 hours after militants first struck. Nine terrorists were killed and one, a Pakistani, was arrested, said R.R. Patil, deputy chief minister of the state of Maharashtra. The attackers arrived in Mumbai from the sea, Patil told reporters.
At least eight soldiers descended from helicopters early today onto the roof of the Jewish center at Nariman House, where as many as three gunmen may be holding six Israelis hostage, officials said. Heavy gunfire and explosions broke out at the center, the Associated Press said. Blasts were heard at the luxury Taj, where six hostages were freed, Times Now said.
The Oberoi-Trident complex was cleared of assailants today and 24 bodies were recovered, an Indian national security guard said on television. Two terrorists were killed at the Trident, where guests were receiving first aid.
“We are in the final stages of operations,” said Army Lieutenant General N. Thamburaj. About 93 people were freed from the Oberoi today and it was unclear how many guests or staff remained inside, police said. Thirty bodies were recovered from a hall in the Taj. Bodies and blood were in evidence everywhere in the hotel, Navy commandos said.
Westerners Targeted
Eight foreigners were among those killed in the coordinated shootings and explosions across India’s financial hub two days ago. The targeting of Westerners marks a shift in tactics for Islamic militants in India as they strike the international links that have helped the country’s economy grow at 9 percent or more for each of the past three years. Elements in Pakistan are responsible for the attacks, the Press Trust of India cited External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee as saying.
Commandos slid down ropes dangling from helicopters onto the roof of the Jewish center at about 7:15 a.m. local time.
“We have word of a rescue operation taking place, but no information of any hostages being freed or released yet,” said Andy David, deputy spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
The building is home to the Chabad-Lubavitch Center, a Brooklyn-based Hassidic group. A rabbi, his wife and several other people were being held hostage, Menachem Brod, a spokesman for Chabad, said earlier.
Operation Watched
Television images showed a commando clad in black firing from an automatic weapon at a window from the roof of a neighboring building.
Hundreds of onlookers, some with binoculars, stood in the street trying to get a glimpse of the operation.
There were similar scenes at the Oberoi, as rescued guests, many clutching passports and bags, were loaded into buses and cars by authorities. Fifteen Air France staff members were freed from one of the hotels, the airline said.
“This was a very planned and orchestrated attack, suggesting a more professional terrorist hand at work,” said Rory Medcalf, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute’s program director for international security.
Extremists within India are concerned about the government’s “closer alignment with the West,” Medcalf, a former official at the Australian High Commission in New Delhi, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.
Three U.S. citizens were injured, according to the State Department. Two Australians, a Briton, a Japanese and an Italian are confirmed dead, authorities said. One Canadian was also killed, Agence France-Presse reported. Twenty-two foreign nationals were among those injured in the attacks, according to Mumbai police. No U.K. citizens are being held hostage, U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.
India Targeted
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was keeping President George W. Bush up to date on the situation in Mumbai, the White House said. Embassy personnel were visiting hospitals and hotels to locate and identify any injured U.S. citizens.
Multiple attacks have rocked India’s cities with bombs planted in markets, theaters and near mosques this year leaving more than 300 people dead.
“We came up against highly motivated terrorists,” Vice- Admiral J.S. Bedi, whose commandos led the assault against the militants, said in televised comments. He showed pictures of recovered hand grenades, tear gas shells and AK47 magazines.
A little known Islamist group called the Deccan Mujahedeen claimed responsibility for the attacks, PTI reported.
Well-Planned Attacks
India will “go after” individuals and organizations behind the attacks, which were “well-planned with external linkages,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a televised address, without identifying nations.
Local media often blame attacks on groups backed by Pakistan or Bangladesh, without identifying the security officials who provided the information. Both countries have denied sponsoring terrorist attacks in India.
The attacks in Mumbai show India’s home-grown Islamic militant movement is aligning its campaign with those in the broader Muslim world, while seeking to hit economic interests, intelligence analysts said.
The Indian Navy captured a ship that was suspected of dropping the terrorists off the coast of Mumbai in speed boats, the IBN7 television channel reported. The Vietnam-registered ship, MV Alfa, allegedly came from Karachi, Pakistan, according to the report. Navy commandos said the ship was released after it had been checked.
Unfair on Pakistan
“It is unfair to blame Pakistan or Pakistanis for these acts of terrorism even before an investigation is undertaken,” Pakistan’s Ambassador to the U.S. Husain Haqqani said in a statement. “Instead of scoring political points at the expense of a neighboring country that is itself a victim of terrorism, it is time for India’s leaders to work together with Pakistan’s elected leaders in putting up a joint front against terrorism.”
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will meet with Singh today to personally offer Pakistan’s condolences for the Mumbai attacks, the official Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
The Indian government will have little choice but to blame the attacks on Pakistan, Stratfor, a private intelligence company in Austin, Texas, said in a statement.
Singh’s government would face a political backlash for security failings if it said the assaults were carried out by a domestic group, Stratfor said. Blaming Pakistan, however, could strain ties between the nuclear-armed neighbors as they try to advance their more than 5-year-old peace process.
To contact the reporters on this story: Anil Varma in Mumbai at avarma3@bloomberg.net; Chitra Somayaji in Mumbai at csomayaji@bloomberg.net; Vipin V. Nair in Mumbai at vnair12@bloomberg.net.
Source: bloomberg.com
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