Elite commandos from India’s National Security Guards (NSG) special unit secured the Taj Mahal Hotel and were sweeping out the Oberoi-Trident Hotel and the Nariman Bhavan Jewish residential complex on Friday morning, India time. They were conducting door-to-door searches to rescue hostages and flush out the final remaining terrorists 36 hours after the violent terrorist attacks first started in the city.
The three locations are believed to be the final locations in Mumbai where militants, who began a series of violent and horrific assaults across the city, are believed to be holed up with hostages.
Three terrorists were reported to have been killed in the assault on the Taj Mahal Hotel. Gunfire and explosions could be occasionally heard from both luxury hotels as NSG commandos swept through both hotels.
As this article went to press, CNN-IBN, a prominent Indian television station, was reporting that one terrorist remained holed up in the Taj Mahal Hotel, but he was believed to have been injured. The station quoted J. K. Dutt, Director General of the NSG commandos, as saying: “I think we will be able to mop up the operation there very quickly.”
Dutt further told CNN-IBN, “Our first objective has been to ensure safety of the hostages and we have been able to get 145 rescued from the Taj.” He added that NSG commandos were “in total control of the situation” at Nariman Bhavan.
The Indian Express reported that the terrorists had been cornered at the Oberoi-Trident Hotel and Nariman Bhavan, and that NSG commandos were beginning their final assault on all locations.
NSG commandos had also secured most of the Oberoi but were still engaging with two terrorists believed to be on the eighth floor.
Crowds cheered and helicopters flew overhead as the black-clad NSG commandos moved into the Oberoi-Trident.
A huge fire had broken out at the Oberoi Hotel earlier, but CNN reported that by Friday morning, most of the fire had been put out by the fire brigade. Over 200 people are reported to have been trapped in the location where the fire broke out.
The death toll from the violence, as of Friday morning India time, was at 125 lives, and more than 327 people were reported to be injured. Twelve policemen were among those reported dead. Six foreign nationals, including one Australian, Briton, Italian, and Japanese, were also reported to have been killed by militants. Three Americans are reported to be among those injured.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a nationally televised speech that the “well-planned and well-orchestrated attacks, probably with external linkages, were intended to create a sense of terror by choosing high-profile targets.”
U.S. President George Bush offered Mr. Singh “support and assistance,” White House press secretary Dana Perino said.
Analysts are divided on whether the assailants were home-grown terrorists or foreign nationals. Mr. Rohan Gunaratna, author of “Inside Al-Qaida,” said in an interview with Associated Press that he believed the attacks to be “al-Qaida style.” The attack on international locations targeting Westerners and two Jewish centers are also cited as adding weight to the possibility that al-Qaida may have been involved.
Ratan Tata, whose company owns the Taj Mahal Hotel, said the terrorists had planned their attacks in advance and in great detail. At a news conference, Mr. Tata said, “They seem to know their way around the back office, the kitchen. There has been a considerable amount of detailed planning.”
The gunmen are believed to have come by boat at the Mumbai waterfront near the iconic Gateway of India monument. After hijacking cars, they are believed to have split into at least three groups to carry out the attacks.
Earlier assaults on Wednesday night and Thursday morning included Café Leopold, a posh and popular hangout for Westerners; Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station, a central train station in downtown Mumbai; and Cama Hospital, a charitable hospital for women and children. Gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons at the three locations, and also lobbed grenades at the railway station, killing many and leaving most of the locations strewn with blood.
The attacks are the most brutal and horrifying terrorist assaults in a city that ranks behind only Iraq in the number of yearly causalities from violence.
The three locations are believed to be the final locations in Mumbai where militants, who began a series of violent and horrific assaults across the city, are believed to be holed up with hostages.
Three terrorists were reported to have been killed in the assault on the Taj Mahal Hotel. Gunfire and explosions could be occasionally heard from both luxury hotels as NSG commandos swept through both hotels.
As this article went to press, CNN-IBN, a prominent Indian television station, was reporting that one terrorist remained holed up in the Taj Mahal Hotel, but he was believed to have been injured. The station quoted J. K. Dutt, Director General of the NSG commandos, as saying: “I think we will be able to mop up the operation there very quickly.”
Dutt further told CNN-IBN, “Our first objective has been to ensure safety of the hostages and we have been able to get 145 rescued from the Taj.” He added that NSG commandos were “in total control of the situation” at Nariman Bhavan.
The Indian Express reported that the terrorists had been cornered at the Oberoi-Trident Hotel and Nariman Bhavan, and that NSG commandos were beginning their final assault on all locations.
NSG commandos had also secured most of the Oberoi but were still engaging with two terrorists believed to be on the eighth floor.
Crowds cheered and helicopters flew overhead as the black-clad NSG commandos moved into the Oberoi-Trident.
A huge fire had broken out at the Oberoi Hotel earlier, but CNN reported that by Friday morning, most of the fire had been put out by the fire brigade. Over 200 people are reported to have been trapped in the location where the fire broke out.
The death toll from the violence, as of Friday morning India time, was at 125 lives, and more than 327 people were reported to be injured. Twelve policemen were among those reported dead. Six foreign nationals, including one Australian, Briton, Italian, and Japanese, were also reported to have been killed by militants. Three Americans are reported to be among those injured.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a nationally televised speech that the “well-planned and well-orchestrated attacks, probably with external linkages, were intended to create a sense of terror by choosing high-profile targets.”
U.S. President George Bush offered Mr. Singh “support and assistance,” White House press secretary Dana Perino said.
Analysts are divided on whether the assailants were home-grown terrorists or foreign nationals. Mr. Rohan Gunaratna, author of “Inside Al-Qaida,” said in an interview with Associated Press that he believed the attacks to be “al-Qaida style.” The attack on international locations targeting Westerners and two Jewish centers are also cited as adding weight to the possibility that al-Qaida may have been involved.
Ratan Tata, whose company owns the Taj Mahal Hotel, said the terrorists had planned their attacks in advance and in great detail. At a news conference, Mr. Tata said, “They seem to know their way around the back office, the kitchen. There has been a considerable amount of detailed planning.”
The gunmen are believed to have come by boat at the Mumbai waterfront near the iconic Gateway of India monument. After hijacking cars, they are believed to have split into at least three groups to carry out the attacks.
Earlier assaults on Wednesday night and Thursday morning included Café Leopold, a posh and popular hangout for Westerners; Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station, a central train station in downtown Mumbai; and Cama Hospital, a charitable hospital for women and children. Gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons at the three locations, and also lobbed grenades at the railway station, killing many and leaving most of the locations strewn with blood.
The attacks are the most brutal and horrifying terrorist assaults in a city that ranks behind only Iraq in the number of yearly causalities from violence.
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