terrorists killed,taj,oberoi,nariman house freed from terrorists

The operation to flush out terrorists from Taj Hotel is over, signalling an end to the 62-hour siege by terrorists three of whom were killed this morning in an assault by the elite commandos of National Security Guards (NSG).

However, the NSG is still sanitising the hotel to check if any remaining terrorist or explosive is still in the 400-room hotel, NSG Director General J K Dutt told reporters.

“The commandos killed three terrorists after intense gun-battle inside the hotel,” Dutt said.

An AK-47 rifle was also recovered from them.

“There was lot of shooting. Grenades were lobbed and explosives were used by the terrorists,” he said.

Dutt said the “operation” to secure the 100-year-old heritage hotel in Colaba area completely was still in progress and NSG was undertaking the combing operation.

“We cannot say the operation is over till we check the hotel. Each floor, each room will be checked” to ensure that no more terrorist is hiding in the hotel or no explosives are hidden there, the NSG chief said.

Giving details of the operation, Dutt said the terrorists would set afire the hotel rooms whenever they came under pressure from the NSG commandos.

This was to divert the attention of the NSG, he said, adding that the commandos were, however, undeterred by these tactics and continued their assault resulting in the success.

“We are also looking for any surviving guests, still locked up in the rooms and not coming out for the fear of terrorist attack,” Dutt said.

Dutt appealed to the surviving guests to open curtains of their windows to help them identify and rescue them while assuring that NSG has the expertise to neutralise the terrorists from the window.

“The body which was seen falling out of the first floor window was of a terrorist,” he said.

The forces had secured the other luxury hotel Trident Oberoi and a Jewish Centre yesterday while maintaining that a lone gunman continued to hold out inside the Taj hotel at the end of the pitched combat that left 30 hostages dead.

At the Centre, a residential complex housing a prayer hall, commandos were air dropped from helicopters in first such operation in urban India during which the security forces spent the entire day to clear it. Two terrorists were killed but not before five of the hostages were eliminated by them.

The might of the Indian security forces had to be brought in to rid these landmarks in the country’s financial capital of the heavily-armed suspected Pakistani terrorists, but the costs were heavy.

When the Oberoi was cleared of the terrorists, as many as 30 hostages were found dead raising the toll in the worst terrorist strike against India to over 160 including 16 security personnel. Eleven terrorists were also eliminated and one was captured on Friday.

Police Commissioner Hassan Gaffoor separately told reporters that four terrorists were holed up at the Taj and they were killed in the last two days.

Over ten terrorists were holed up in the three buildings — Taj, Oberoi-Trident and Nariman House in the South Mumbai, he said, adding nine of them killed and one captured.

Eyewitnesses said that there was a carnage in the Oberoi’s upper lobby restaurant ‘Tiffin’ and bodies were strewn all over in both the five star hotels.

Eerie silence was slowly descending on the city as it was coming to terms with the terror attack.

Most of the bodies were taken to J J hospital for post-mortem which had been delayed as the morgues in the South Mumbai government hospital were full.

Surgeons from another government hospital were in Oberoi-Trident to examine bodies and attend to injured.

source:news agencies

planning of Mumbai terror attack

Investigators working on the Mumbai terror attack have unearthed vital information about how the terrorists managed to enter Mumbai.

The interrogations of the two arrested terrorists, Abu Ismail and Ajmal Kamal, have revealed that 20 men were involved in the terror attack. While eight terrorists set up base in Hotel Trident and Taj Mahal Hotel ,12 others came to Mumbai in a boat.

Intelligence Bureau officials are trying to verify if the terrorists came in through the Persian Gulf.

The arrested terrorists have revealed that they hijacked two fishing boats and used them to come to Mumbai, armed with guns and ammunition.

He further stated that while one of the boats landed at Cuffe Parade near the fishermen’s colony, the other landed at Sassoon dock.

The terrorists had initially planned to send in only one team to carry out the attacks and the other team was to be kept on stand-by.

However, the plan changed at the last minute, and the terrorists decided to execute the terror attacks together, Ismail reportedly told the police.

According to the officials of the Intelligence Bureau, the attacks had been planned in  February, and this fact was confirmed by an arrested accused in the CRPF camp attack case. The accused had revealed that a Fidayeen attack had been ordered by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and the target was Mumbai.

The accused had told the police that the LeT planned to attack the Taj Mahal Hotel and the Bombay Stock Exchange.

During his interrogation, Ismail admitted that he and his associates had undergone rigourous training for this operation, which had been planned meticulously.

Investigating officials are not ruling out the possibility of local elements providing logistical support to the terrorists.

Ismail further told the investigators that the terrorists had undergone extensive training in using AK-47 and grenades at a camp in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

During the training programme, they were shown the detailed layout of the Taj Mahal Hotel, in order to acquaint them with the topography of the places they would have to attack. After the training at PoK was complete, the entire team was shifted to Karachi, where they received training in sailing as their plan included entering India through the sea route.

source:rediff

pictures of mumbai terrorist attack(26,27,28-11-2008)

“I was  here in Mumbai  when 1993 blasts took place…but this is something bigger, uglier and more terrifying than 93 blasts” said my friend sanjay, who has been living in Mumbai from last 20 years.  “I can see frustration, suspicion and fear among the people around me” are some lines which my colleague told me over phone.

Terrorists strikes, which started on November 26, 2008 at around 8.30 p.m local time has not stopped yet. According to sources so far more than 150 people are dead and at least 400 injured in these terrorists strikes. These terrorists killed people at Hotel Taj, oberai hotel and Nariman house and chhatrapati shivaji terminus.In shivaji terminus alone at least 47 people were killed and more than 60 people were critically injured. Some of the well known faces like ATS (Anti terrorist squad) Chief Hemant Karkare, DIG Ashok Kamte and encounter specialist Vijay salaskar also lost their lives in these terrorist strikes. Also among the dead was a Greek Millionaire Andreas Liveras(owner of Liveras Yatch).

In Nariman House Jewish sect was targeted and the terrorists exactly knew what they are doing. Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivika have been held hostages. According to police sources 14 foreigners have been killed in these attacks. According to sources 40 foreign nationals have been kept hostages by the terrorists.

Deccan Mujahideen, an unknown terror outfit before nov. 26, 2008 claimed responsibility for these attacks.

“Hindus should not think that the Indian ATS, Army are well endowed with hi-tech weaponsand are brave too.We can see how brave they are in the Naxalite infested areas.This attack is in reaction to the attacks started by the Hindus from 1947.Now, There won’t be any action but only reaction and It will happen again and again till we avenge all the atrocities committed against us”

“Hindus should not think that by demolition mosques, inciting riots, weaking the economic condition of the Muslims and putting educated Muslim youth behind bars can demoralize us.No, Never…” this is the e-mail sent by so called Deccan mujahideen and they claimed to be from Hyderabad, but sources said that their accent was more from Punjab or from POK. There are clear indications that Pakistan is backing these terrorists…

 

 

 

photographs source:news agencies