War on Mumbai

By Pamela Raghunath, Correspondent
Published: November 27, 2008, 23:28

Mumbai: Indian commandos fought to end a multiple hostage crisis in Mumbai on Thursday, battling gunmen holding foreign guests in two luxury hotels after attacks across the city left at least 125 dead and 300 injured.

Bragged about as a city that never sleeps due to its joie de vivre, Mumbai was a sleepless city for all the wrong reasons from Wednesday night, as it came under the clutches of gun wielding men who fired indiscriminately at innocent people in some of the best known landmarks.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the militants had come from "outside the country" - a thinly-veiled reference to arch-rival Pakistan.

Pakistan's defence minister Ahmad Mukhtar said his country had played no role in the attacks.

Mumbai Police lost 14 policemen, including Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare, Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamte and its well-known marksman Vijay Salaskar in an encounter with the terrorists.

Police officials said troops were conducting floor-by-floor sweeps of the Taj Mahal and the Oberoi/Trident hotels, nearly 24 hours after terrorists armed with assault rifles and grenades stormed the buildings.

Gunfire continued to be heard from both hotels, where scores of guests remained trapped in their rooms.

A huge fire engulfed the top floors and the dome of the old Taj building in the early hours of yesterday until it was put out by the fire brigade. A state home ministry official told Gulf News that 400 people have been rescued from the Taj hotel alone.

The horrifying attacks that have yet to see an end have been countered by joint teams of the National Security Guard, Rapid Action Force, Army and Marine Commandos and Mumbai Police, the last bearing the brunt.

Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said, "Maharashtra will never forget their sacrifice."

Deshmukh said there could be 20-25 terrorists involved in the attacks. The terrorists are reported to have entered Mumbai by two boats after getting off a ship, MV Alpha, from Karachi. They arrived at the Machimar Colony, a colony of fishermen, in Cuffe Parade in South Mumbai, carrying heavy bags and backpacks.

When the locals asked who they were, they curtly said they were students.

A sack belonging to a terrorist which was found in the Taj hotel was was full of plastic explosives, eight to nine loaded AK-47 magazines, large amounts of ammunition, hand grenades, detonators, batteries, foreign currencies, fake credit cards and dried fruit. Stock market and educational institutions remained closed on Thursday.

Do you know anyone in Mumbai who has been affected by this? Have you spoken to them? What has their experience been? Were you planning on going to Mumbai? Have these attacks changed your plans? Do you think this has changed people's perception of the reach of terrorism?