Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 22 Dec 2008 10:15

So when the ATS squad approached Cama Hospital did they know there were terrorists there or were they going to Cama hospital to visit Date?

From the notation for scene 2 it looks like they knew the terrorists were there and attacked from back entrance but met resitance and decided to attack from the front. So the 'ambush' was really a shootout in which Kasab got injured and the ATS squad got their casualties.

So there is no question of being sent to their deaths etc as Antulloo is alleging.

Jagan · Post by **Jagan** » 22 Dec 2008 11:00

Theres a story acompanying the graphic that does a pretty good job of the event timeline

HOLE BLOWN THROUGH CONSPIRACY THEORY
TOI Pieces Together The Last Hours Of Mumbai’s Three Police Officers On The Fateful Night Of November 26
S Ahmed Ali & Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: The events of November 26 night, that claimed the lives of three of Mumbai’s top officers, cast doubts on union minorities affairs minister, A R Antulay’s conspiracy theory. Here’s what happened that night.

At around 9.45pm, the city police control room flashed the message saying there was a terror attack at CST railway station. Within minutes, the road outside the prominent station was deserted. Not even the policemen on duty, most of whom who were armed with only lathis, were ready to go to the spot.

Hemant Karkare, ATS chief, reached CST from his Dadar residence, and donned a helmet and bullet proof jacket. Additional director-general of police (Railways) K P Raghuvanshi also joined him.

But, while Raghuvanshi stayed back, Karkare, along with his four policemen, first went to the CST station’s platform number 1 (opposite Anjuman-e-Islam School) but it was deserted and there was no sign of the terrorists.

“A fellow policeman informed them that the terrorists were spotted walking towards (the nearby) Cama Hospital,’’ said city police commissioner Hasan Gafoor. Meanwhile, Karkare received a wireless message saying, “Additional police commissioner Sadanand Date is injured at Cama Hospital. A bodyguard is seriously injured, while another constable is dead.’’

Karkare, accompanied by four constables, made for Cama Hospital, while the Z-security guards were instructed to take position outside the TOI building. The team moved cautiously towards Cama and tried to get a clear idea of what was happening. “Later, inspector Vijay Salaskar and additional commissioner Ashok Kamte, who met at CST, arrived on the scene. Salaskar was accompanied by five of his subordinates,’’ said Akhtar Shaikh, Kakare’s orderly, who was present along with the ATS chief that night.

“As we headed towards the rear entrance of Cama, we heard gunshots. Kamte returned the fire, and the terrorists threw a grenade at us, but it fell in the hospital building premises,’’ said Shaikh.

Inspector Nitin Alaknure, Salaskar’s colleague, said, “ Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar were discussing their next step. Kamte then suggested they enter the hospital from the main gate. They got into a police Qualis stationed there, and later, as they approached the special branch, Salaskar took over the driver’s seat,’’ Alaknure recalled.

Salaskar ordered his two constables to take position at the rear gate, while Karkare’s four constables were assigned to take position at the other gates.

“They got a wireless message that the terrorists were hiding behind a red vehicle near Rang Bhavan. They started looking for the red vehicle and suddenly spotted one terrorist, who was later identified as Kasab. Kamte and Salaskar opened fire,’’ said crime branch chief, Rakesh Maria.

The officers were about to get down from the vehicle when all of sudden another terrorists showered bullets from his AK-47, injuring all the policemen. Kamte and Karkare died on the spot. The terrorists then threw the three policemen out of the car, and hijacked the vehicle. It was Arun Jadhav, the sole survivor, who later informed the control room about the incident.

When the police brought the officers to the hospital, Kamte and Karkare were pronounced dead before admission, while Salaskar succumbed to injuries at GTHospital

CHANCE ENCOUNTER: HOW THE SLAIN TRIO REACHED CST THAT WEDENSDAY
HEMANT KARKARE

Karkare was at his house in Dadar having dinner, when, at around 9.45pm, he gets a call on his mobile phone from one of his constables informing him about a shootout at CST, and tight nakabandi in the city

Karkare switches on TV to see the news. He leaves immediately

He gets into his Indigo, where his driver takes him to CST

ASHOK KAMTE

At 8pm, Kamte is at his home in European House, behind Byculla police station.

He gets a message on his wireless set at around 9.45pm: ``There’s a terror attack at CST’’

He dons his uniform, and prepares to leave

He gets into his Honda City, where his driver, who is still on duty takes him to CST

Of the three officers, he’s the only one who comes in uniform

VIJAY SALASKAR

Salaskar is at home in Goregaon, about to sit down for dinner with his family, when he receives a call on his phone. It’s from the crime branch informing him about the CST attack

He immediately calls his subordinates at Malad, Andheri and Vile Parle police stations, assigning them meeting places from where he’ll pick them up.

As his driver has left for the day, Salaskar drives his Qualis

En route, he gets a call from a senior officer asking him to go to the Taj

By the time he arrives, operations have already begun at the Taj. He receives a call from the joint commissioner of police (crime), Rakesh Maria, on his cellphone. Maria says, “Go to the Colaba police station as they have caught two terrorists. Go and interrogate them.”

Salaskar and his team (two constables, three officers), rush to Colaba police station, where they find out that the people detained are actually two Israeli nationals

Salaskar calls Rakesh Maria to tell him that it is a false alarm. Maria to Salaskar: “It doesn’t seem like the attacks are orchestrated by local goons. Please go to the head office [Crawford markert]. We’ll chalk out a plan.’’

Salaskar heads towards HO, but he takes the CST route. He gets a message from an officer saying that the additional commissioner of police, Sadanand Date, has been injured at Cama Hospital

At CST (near the TOI building), he meets Karkare

HariC · Post by **HariC** » 22 Dec 2008 19:46

folks

This is the FULL Names list of those killed in Mumbai. I was able to complete it thanks to a Maharashtra Govt news release.

While I was able to give locations and references to most - thirty names are still marked as "unknown". (Most of them are probably from CST) Please see if you can find the details of these thirty victims. If you update the list, please format the line you updated in BOLD

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key= ... lIYQ&hl=en

It is tragic to see that the government is not counting the victims of Kuber in the final tally - I hope the government rectifies that. After all they were the first victims of this atrocity.

HariC · Post by **HariC** » 22 Dec 2008 20:00

Mumbai Mirror - epaper

Top ATS cops were trapped in one jeep

ATS chief Hemant Karkare, additional CP Ashok Kamte, encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar and constable Arun Jadhav were all travelling in the same Qualis when the terrorists struck

RAVIKIRAN DESHMUKH AND DANISH KHAN

The lone survivor of the ambush of the jeep carrying top ATS cops, constable Arun Jadhav has a harrowing tale of death and brutality observed from up close.
Jadhav who was a close associate of encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar was accompanying ATS chief Hemant Karkare, additional CP (eastern region) Ashok Kamte and Salaskar in the jeep that was ambushed by two terrorists near Albless and Cama is at present in the ICU at Bombay hospital. He gave us a detailed blow-byblow account of how they were trapped. On Wednesday night as the terrorists left CST to go towards Metro cinema Karkare, Kamte, Salaskar and Jadhav boarded a Qualis jeep belonging to an assistant commissioner of police and headed towards the Special Branch office located behind Sir J J School of Arts. They suspected the terrorists to be hiding there. Three more cops, a PSI, and a constable and a driver were also in the vehicle.
“We had barely started when we came to know through wireless that a red Maruti swift was parked outside police headquarters and could have a bomb,” Jadhav told Mirror from hospital bed. At that moment, Inspector Salaskar offered to drive the vehicle, while Addl CP Ashok Kamte occupied the front seat. ATS chief Karkare was in the backseat. Jadhav was seated in the rear of the vehicle.
“As we proceeded towards the Xaviers college via Special Branch office, the two terrorists hiding in bushes on the right side opened fire at our vehicle from close proximity. The volley left all three ie Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar grievously injured,” Jadhav said, adding that the terrorists immediately opened doors of the vehicles and pushed the injured officers down. Before hijacking the vehicle, the terrorists fired once again at Karkare and later at the men seated at the rear. The ATS chief, despite having put a bulletproof vest, sustained fatal injuries.
Jadhav, who till then was waiting for an opportunity to retaliate with the help of his automatic gun, was crippled when a gunshot hit his right arm and fractured it. The three others in the vehicle were not fortunate enough and were killed in the gunfire.

TERRORISTS SPEAKING IN KASHMIRI ACCENT

“The two terrorist were speaking with a heavy accent which matches people from the north. They were perhaps Kashmiris,” Jadhav said, adding that the terrorists before leaving the spot gathered the revolvers and pistols of these officials. First, they drove to Metro cinema square, where they fired from the pistols on a red beacon carrying Medical Education Secretary Bhushan Gagrani to Mantralaya and later moved towards Nariman Point.
On reaching near Vidhan Bhavan the duo fired indiscriminately, with their automatic weapons, he said. Here they drove in direction Mittal Tower. The ordeal for Jadhav was over when the terrorists deserted the vehicle as one of its tyres got deflated. According to Jadhav, the two terrorists then stopped a Skoda car and forced its occupants, a man, woman and their driver, to leave before speeding fast in it.
“My immediate concern was to check the condition of the three officials lying on the spot of the ambush. I used the wireless to convey the development to the control room and later told them about the terrorists who sped in the skoda”, Jadhav said. By the time cops reached the spot, Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar were in a bad condition and were declared dead on admission at the hospital. Jadhav too was rushed to hospital, where the dead cops in the hijacked qualis were also removed. Eventually the terrorists were intercepted near Girgaum Chowpatty.
Here, they had to stop the vehicle as the barricades put up by the police failed them to move forward. The police team waiting for them was so enraged on learning their draded act near CST, beat them mercilessly leaving one terrorist Ibrahim, the chief of the group, dead on the spot.
The other one, whose identity has not been revealed by the Police, fained as dead. Both of them were shifted to the morgue in J J Hospital. The staff at the hospital told the police about the terrorist whose heart eats were on.

TERROR UPDATE

Dead: 107 Injured: 350 All terrorists inside Taj killed Hostages still inside Trident Hotel at the time of going to press

DONATE BLOOD

Those who wish to donate blood can go to any municipal hospital. Tata hospital has also made arrangements to accept blood on the 6th floor of their blood bank.

HOW THE TOP COPS JUMPED RIGHT IN

Soon after finishing his meeting with Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil at Malabar Hill, Karkare received a message of firing near Taj Mahal Hotel. He rushed there and within a few minutes constables accompanying him told him about the firing near CST.
On reaching the CST, a police constable told him that the terrorists were on the foot over bridge (FOB) connecting a bylane near the Times building. Here, Karkare told Railway Police DCP Vasant Koregaonkar to rush to the station to avoid any incident in the event of terrorists striking back.
Meanwhile, DCP Sanjay Mohite reached the spot. Karkare, Mohite and Salaskar heard the sound of firing and hand grenades exploding. On reaching the rear gate of Azad Maidan, Mohite rushed towards the Cama Hospital. Here Add. CP Ashok Kamte met Karkare and Salaskar. The trio moved towards the Special Branch Office.
They then stopped the blue coloured Qualis of an ACP. None of the three officials could bend down as they were wearing bullet proof jackets.
As soon as their vehicle reached Rang Bhavan, two terrorists came forward from the right side of the vehicle and indiscriminately sprayed bullets from the sophisticated weapons. Neither of the three officials or police constables sitting in the vehicles could move an inch. One bullet fired from the service revolver of one of the officials pierced through one of the terrorist’s hand.
But the terrorist duo jumped into the Qualis and dragged the bodies of the three officials out, threw them on to the road and took control of the police vehicle.
The bodies of Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar were lying near Rang Bhavan for over 45 minutes in a pool of blood before a patrolling van reached the spot.

HariC · Post by **HariC** » 22 Dec 2008 20:13

The Driveby shooting at Metro

A police jeep driven by terrorists sped towards us...

Mirrorreporter Nirmal Menon recounts events right from Azad maidan firing at 10.30 pm to when the terrorists carjacked a police vehicle at 12.15am

10:30 PM

I had just reached Metro Adlabs at Marine Lines — on being informed of incidents of firing at Leopold Café in Colaba and at CST — only to see the entire area cordoned off by the Mumbai Police. The officials were stopping civilians from crossing the barricade that extended from St Xavier's college to the Metro junction. I managed to sneak through the subway, opposite Lady Willingdon Building, and walked towards the BMC building and CST.

10:45PM

It took me about 15 minutes to reach the Azad Maidan gate. Four constables had taken up positions on the grounds – two equipped with service revolvers. They asked me to hide behind the BMC Municipal Sports Complex shed. While I waited with the posse, I overheard a call for reinforcements at the Oberoi and Taj Hotel on the police wireless. There have been blasts at the site, the dispatcher informed.

11:10PM

The group on the grounds had steadily grown by this time. Suddenly, two blasts were heard. Around six reporters and photographers, who were cooped up with me, then decided that its time to move out of the grounds. We walked towards the Metro junction. Now, while most decided to stop at the Mumbai Press Club (opposite Azad Maidan Police station), three photographers and I inched our way towards Metro Cinema.

11:34PM

We've just about reached the PCO outside the Press Club when we hear around eight gun shots, followed by two more shots within a span of three to five minutes.
The three photographers moved further ahead, while I decided to break away and walk up to the police Qualis that's stationed outside Cama Hospital (on the lane between the divider and the footpath touching Azad Maidan).

11:43PM

Four cops in bullet proof vests stationed outside Aahar Hotel opposite Cama Hotel asked me to move away. After displaying my press reporter credentials, I crouched, moved away and settled down between the Vasudev Balwant Phadke Chowk bus stop and a stall on the same footpath. I overhear two cops, discussing their firearms. One asks his colleague to explain the workings of the pistol.
"Isn't this an automatic? How do you use it?" he asks. The other shows him and says "Keep your cool."

11:45PM

My attention is suddenly diverted to two guys, at a distance of 40 feet, who walk out of the St Xavier's Collage ‘In’ gate. One guy, about 5'5" tall and stocky in build, walked ahead, while the other stood in the dark, about two feet behind him. Expecting trouble, I crouched further into the shadows. One cop walks towards these men and they exchange few words. Before I even could sense it, the stocky guy pulled out a revolver and fired a round. The cop is down, instantly. Scared, I turn and run blindly towards the Lady Willingdon Building.

11:51PM

After what seems like a flight back from hell, I slowly move from Lady Willingdon Building towards the crossroad at Metro chowk where about 100 people including cops, locals and media persons have assembled. The cops asked the locals to stay back. At 11.58 PM, the two terrorists are seen walking calmly across the chowk. People started yelling and pointing towards them. Many ran towards Cheera Bazaar, the rest got behind divider.

12:06AM

About seven minutes later, the same police Qualis jeep — apparently commandeered by the terrorists — sped towards the Lady Willingdon Buildings. The assembled crowd dropped down to its knees. I can hear the sound of screeching tyres, a few gun shots and the cracking of a windscreen glass as the Qualis speeds away towards Marine Lines from Metro Cinema signal.

12:07AM

People slowly began to stand up as the vehicle disappears into the distance. I notice that one cop is shot critically, while a cameraman from a television channel is hurt. Locals lifted up the injured. After a while, an ambulance comes and picks the injured cop. The broadcast journalist is taken in a media van. I later learn that the cop succumbed to his injuries.

HariC · Post by **HariC** » 22 Dec 2008 20:37

This was one of the Israleis mentioned in the article jagan saar posted.

Israeli officer roughed

He could not be identified as did not have his ID card on his person

ABHIJIT SATHE

Suspecting a security officer of the Israeli consulate in Mumbai to be one of the terrorists who had stormed the Nariman House, a mob roughed him up on the night of November 26 and later handed him over to the police.
The Israeli officer was detained by the Colaba police till slain encounter specialist, Vijay Salaskar and a senior IPS officer, who visited the police station after hearing about the firing at Leopold, intervened and called the consulate staff to take him away. Sources said the Israeli consulate authorities realised that it was a case of mistaken identity and have decided not to take up the matter with higher authorities.
According to them, the mob attacked the security officer because he was not carrying any identify proof with him. Even the cops were not ready to believe the officer when he told him that he was associated with the Israeli consulate.
The drama unfolded when terrorists attacked Nariman house and laid siege. Apart from security personnel, a large number of residents too had gathered at the spot. The Israeli security officer, who could not be identified, on witnessing the siege on TV may have rushed to the place since it
housed a Jewish family. A police official on condition of anonymity said, “He later told us that he had deliberately left his identity credentials in the office so that if he enters the building and is caught by the terrorists, he should not be identified.”
The officer’s troubles began when the terrorist lobbed a grenade from inside the building and started firing indiscriminately. “People started running for their lives and the Israeli officer was among them. But he stood out in the crowd and people thought that he was one of the persons who was holed up inside the house,” a police officer at the site told Mumbai Mirror. According to Imran Khan, a Colaba resident, “People caught hold of him and thrashed him badly. It was only after the police intervened that he was spared and later taken to Colaba police station.”
The Colaba police too were not in a mood to take any risk and although the security officer tried to clarify things, they were about to put him in the lock up. “Inspector Vijay Salaskar happened to reach the police station just then and saw the commotion. After speaking to the Israeli officer, he asked the cops to call the Israeli consulate staff to sort out the matter,” a senior IPS official who was present there told Mirror.
An e-mail was sent by Mumbai Mirror to the Israeli consulate to get its version of the issue but there was no reply.

Officials say even the police wasn’t ready to believe the Israeli officer. Vijay Salaskar and a senior IPS officer, intervened and called the consulate staff to take him away

HariC · Post by **HariC** » 22 Dec 2008 21:12

Question is - he was up there in the building trying to face them - so should we object if he was beating his own drum?

DCP Vishwas Nangre Patil shared footage of police op inside Taj, which Ratan Tata says was given to aid investigations and not for image-boosting

DEEPTIMAN TIWARY

Days after a deputy commissioner of police shared footage with the media of the police operation inside Taj during 26/11, chairman of Tata Group, Ratan Tata, has expressed displeasure over the conduct of the police.
Tata is said to have spoken to the Maharashtra DGP and Mumbai CP, objecting to the manner in which the DCP publicised the footage.
Tata pointed out that the footage, captured by the hotel's CCTV cameras, was given to the police to help in their investigations, and not for publicity.
A senior officer, who was part of the Taj operation and also privy to Tata's conversation with the city and state police authorities said, "Ratan Tata was displeased with the way the footage meant for investigations was shared with the media for personal glory by an officer. Though he has not made a formal written complaint, he has told senior officers that it should not have happened."
Last Sunday, DCP (Zone 1) Vishwas Nangre Patil distributed CDs containing edited footage of the operation inside Taj. The footage was played across all TV channels, projecting Patil as a hero. Almost every shot had Patil in the frame, running from one corner to another, or taking cover to fire at terrorists. Later, Patil gave interviews to the press, talking about how he kept the terrorists engaged for six hours before reinforcements were brought in. His action, however, has not gone down well with his seniors and other officers who were part of the operation. All along, Mumbai police maintained that their part of the success was the result of team effort. While both the CP and the DGP have taken strong objection to Patil's conduct, the department is tightlipped as it has turned out to be a major embarrassment for the force.
Tata's corporate communication department confirmed that he expressed displeasure, but chose to remain silent officially to avoid a controversy. An official spokesperson for the company said: "At this point we would only like to say that these are speculations and we cannot comment on conjecture."

PATIL SHARED WIRELESS COMMUNICATION

What further irked officers is that Patil also shared confidential wireless communication between him and his bosses. "Wireless communication during an operation is closely guarded and never shared with anyone outside the police department. But Patil shared even that with media. Our code words, our communication, everything was exposed. You cannot do this," said a senior officer.
In the CD, there are 9.37 minutes of wireless communication between Patil and 'King' (Mumbai CP) during which he briefs King about his position and the operation. At the end he signs off with: "Do not worry, sir. We will do or die." The conversation was procured from the control room and put in the CD. Mumbai CP Hasan Gafoor said, "It is to be seen if wireless communication was captured by CCTV. In that case, there's nothing one can do." He, however, agreed it was not proper to share it.

OFFICERS DISTRESSED

Patil's action has also caused distress to other officers who were part of the operation. An officer said, "The entire media circus looked as if Patil was the only one fighting terrorists. There were others like Adl CP Sadanand Date and constables who confronted the terrorists, suffering injuries and bullet wounds. Patil's own constables died in the operation. But no one blew their own trumpet as police always work as a team."

PATIL CLARIFIES

While Patil said he could not comment on the displeasure expressed by Ratan Tata, he clarified that the footage was only of the police operation. He said, "The footage shared was only of the police operation and did not show any clear image of the terrorists or the damage to the hotel. The CD also had the wireless communication between us and other officers and it had been procured from the control room."

HariC · Post by **HariC** » 22 Dec 2008 21:24

| | |

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cops engaged in another ‘gun’ battle

Argue over which officer managed to injure Qasab on 26/11

ABHIJIT SATHE

Having put up a united face against one of the worst terror attacks in history, the Mumbai police is now divided over claims of glory.
The question that is creating trouble among various departments of the force is who shot Qasab, the sole surviving terrorist who sustained three bullet injuries that day. Three different groups of policemen had an encounter with Qasab on the night of November 26 and now all three groups claim their officers injured him.
The trouble is all the three officers in question — Addl CP Sadanand Date, Addl CP Ashok Kamte and inspector Vijay Salaskar — were killed by Qasab and his accomplice Ismail Khan and the force has been left guessing. Forensic reports, which could have helped, reveal that all the three bullets that injured Qasab had a 9mm bore. Trouble is, each of these three officers was carrying a 9mm pistol, leaving the departments to squabble.

TWO ENCOUNTERS, THREE BULLETS

On November 26, after striking at CST, Qasab and Ismail ran into the Times of India lane that leads to the Cama and Albless Hospital. A team of cops, led by Date, rushed to the spot and engaged the terrorists in a gun battle.
The two terrorists fled towards Rang Bhawan and several cops, including Date, were injured in the encounter. Meanwhile, ATS chief Hemant Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar, along with some constables, moved towards Rang Bhawan in a car.
As soon as they reached the spot, terrorists opened fire at them and the cops retaliated. While all but one constable died in the attack, Qasab was found with three bullet injuries when he was apprehended by the D B Marg police personnel near Girgaum Chowpatty.
A senior officer with the crime branch said, “Date was carrying a 9mm pistol while Salaskar had a Gloc pistol which also uses 9mm bore bullets. Kamte, however, was also carrying an AK 47. But it is not known whether he fired from his AK-47 or his 9mm pistol.”
Crime branch officers claim that Salaskar shot Qasab. A crime branch officer said, “Qasab told us that a tall man had shot him but he does not recognise who it was. In all probability it was Salaskar.”
Senior officers think it was Kamte. “Kamte was a fantastic sharpshooter, probably the best in the department. He wouldn’t take out an AK to shoot the terrorists as he was in the car and crammed for space. Also, Salaskar was on the wheels it was unlikely he would have shot them.”
Meanwhile, others argue that it is possible that Date’s shots hit Qasab. Since there are no bullets lodged in Qasab’s body a ballistic test cannot be conducted to figure which gun the bullets were fired from and Qasab can’t recognise any of the officers since it dark.
The only witness to the encounter is a constable who was sitting in the rear seat of the car — too far to get a clear picture.

HariC · Post by **HariC** » 22 Dec 2008 21:29

A pic of Kasab from the above report

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 22 Dec 2008 21:39

HariC, Thanks and keep up the good work.

ramana

Jagan · Post by **Jagan** » 23 Dec 2008 19:01

HariC wrote:folks

This is the FULL Names list of those killed in Mumbai. I was able to complete it thanks to a Maharashtra Govt news release.

While I was able to give locations and references to most - thirty names are still marked as "unknown". (Most of them are probably from CST) Please see if you can find the details of these thirty victims. If you update the list, please format the line you updated in BOLD

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key= ... lIYQ&hl=en

It is tragic to see that the government is not counting the victims of Kuber in the final tally - I hope the government rectifies that. After all they were the first victims of this atrocity.

HariC. Good work with this and the other stories.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 23 Dec 2008 23:02

Please x-post items in this thread also.

X-Post...

HariC wrote:Mumbai Mirror

Marcos made blind entry into Taj hotel

They went in without any idea of the hotel's layout but, probably, laid the foundation for NSG's success

MUMBAI MIRROR BUREAU

What was initially thought to be a gang war turned out to be one of the most gruesome Fidayeen attacks that India has ever witnessed. And if it weren't for the marine commandos of the Indian Navy, who were the first specialised group to respond to the crisis, the death toll may have been higher. In the absence of National Security Guards (NSG) or the Army, groups that are trained to handle terror attacks, the police found it difficult to handle the situation and by midnight, it sought help from the Navy, which immediately pressed two teams of its marine commandos into service.
By 2.30 am, one of the teams reached the Taj Hotel to begin its operation. In all the mayhem, however, they could not get much information from the hotel staff or policemen about the hotel layout, which has hundreds of rooms. Also, the commandos were unaware of how much ammunition, or what sort the terrorists possessed. “No one knew the layout of the hotel from the inside, nor did we have information about the weapons that were being used by the terrorists. So we began our operation blindly,” said the officer leading the team that stormed the Taj Hotel.
The marine commandos even in the absence of valuable strategic information walked gingerly into the Taj, scanning every corner of the ground floor first. There, a member of the hotel staff suggested that CCTV footage of the terrorists may provide them with some clue of how many terrorists were holed up and what sort of weapons they had with them. But when they tried to enter the CCTV room, they found that it was full of smoke. The terrorists had most probably damaged the room. Then gunshots were heard emanating from the second floor of the hotel. The commandos rushed up but found only dead bodies strewn all over the floor. “We saw about 15 dead bodies and around five to six injured people,” the officer said. Before they could help the injured, the terrorists opened fire on them. The commandos retaliated and the exchange of fire continued for some time.
The moment the terrorists realised they were outnumbered, they threw grenades at the team. After the firing stopped, the commandos arranged for the injured to be taken to the hospital while they got back to flushing out the terrorists. But when they returned to the room where the gunmen were holed up, they had vanished. From here on, the grim cat-and-mouse game began.
The commandos heard gunshots from the second floor of the new building. On rushing there they were met with a volley of bullets in which two commandos got injured. The team retaliated but the terrorists again managed to escape. “The terrorists were well acquainted with the hotel's layout. They must have done an elaborate survey to so precisely know every single entry and exit point,” the officer said.
While escaping the terrorists left behind their rucksack. “We found explosives, ammunition, money and food in the bag. It had seven magazines of AK series guns and 400 spare live rounds. There was also some amount of plastic explosives and a huge amount of dry fruits. There were seven credit cards of major banks like the ICICI, HSBC, HDFC, Axis and CITI bank. There were Rs 6,840 in Indian currency and a wad of dollars. It seems they had come prepared to fight a very long battle,” he said.
An identity card found from the spot revealed that one terrorist was a Mauritian national, indicating a strange terror network. Crime Branch officers said that such ID cards were found on all the terrorists who were killed since Wednesday and that in all likelihood, they were fake. “All terrorists carry fake IDs to help them move easily and to hoodwink investigations,” a crime branch officer said.
Even as the chase went on, the brave men in uniform rescued about 30 hotel staff and 200 guests. The rescued people also included the hotel MD. The team moved from floor-tofloor to flush out the terrorists but faced difficulties because it was dark and due to lack of knowledge of the hotel layout. This went on till 6.30 am when NSG commandos arrived and took charge. A similar operation was carried out even at the Trident till NSG again took charge.
Meanwhile, chief of staff, Navy, RK Pattnaik, denied that it was a lapse on part of the Navy that so many terrorists managed to sneak in though the sea route into the city. He said, “The sea is vast and its not possible to keep a check everywhere. It's the intelligence agencies who gather information on sneaking in of terrorists.”

and

HariC wrote:I forget where i got this from

He knew Taj was death trap, yet reported to duty day after 26/11
N GANESH

Next, he was told to escort NSG commandos; he returned with bullet in his waist but no regrets

T HIRTY- FOUR- year-old private security guard Rakesh Chawan is still unrepentant of the fact that he reported for duty on time at the Taj Hotel on November 27 despite knowing that the armed-to-the-teeth terrorists were creating havoc inside.
“I was merely doing my duty,” says Chawan, who is recuperating at the Bombay Hospital . He winces regularly in pain because of the injury in his waist caused by the bullet fired by the same terrorist who shot NSG commando Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan. On Saturday, Chawan was blessed with a baby, his first child.

Despite being aware that heavily armed terrorists had stormed the Taj Hotel on November 26, Chawan reported for duty at 9 am the next day. Soon, he was assigned to lead the team of 10 NSG commandos led by Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan. Chawan’s brief was simple: armed with a master key he was to open the doors of each and every room in the hotel’s old wing and then the commandos would take over. In case the rooms had guests then, they had to be escorted out to safety. But if it had terrorists, they had to be disarmed after a warning.

It took about four hours for the commandos to comb every nook and corner of all the rooms on the fifth and sixth floors. “At 10.15 am, I and the commandos started combing the rooms from the sixth floor downwards. We encountered only guests in the rooms till we reached the fourth floor,” recalls Chawan, a Dombivli resident.

“But as I opened room number 470, a terrorist was standing before us. He opened fire when a commando asked him to surrender. The first shot hit a commando and even as I ducked for safety, I could see from the corner of my eye that the terrorist kneeled and fired at me. I was hit,” recounts Chawan. He added that the commotion created while trying to convince an old lady to come out of her room located nearby may have alerted the terrorist.

Meanwhile, the then bleeding Chawan was rushed to the hospital. The bullet that entered from behind was lodged in his pelvic region and he could feel it with his hands. Though the bullet has been removed now, the wound is healing very slowly.

However, Chawan momentarily forgets his discomfort and breaks into a smile when he mentions that Ratan Tata had visited him in hospital when he was in the ICU. He adds thatThe Indian Hotels Company that runs the Taj Hotel is incurring all his medical expenses.

Meanwhile, in the absence of his wife Rashmi, Chawan was being assisted by his maternal uncle Ashok Nalawade (58). Chawan, who is employed with MPI Security, says he is raring to join back.

and

Avinash R wrote:
HariC wrote:I forget where i got this from

from expressindia. here is the link.
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news ... 11/398323/

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 06 Jan 2009 01:57

Two op-eds over the holidays:

1) Why Congress wont make Antulay say sorry by TV Shenoy

The records indicate that the attack on the Taj hotel was reported to the Police Control Room a full 13 minutes after Karkare was killed.

2) Whos is the villan of 2008? by Col. Anil Athale

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 20 Jan 2009 11:00

Night watch has a series of reports about the Mumbai terrorist attack. Please look at the stories as they unfolded from 11/26/08

http://www.afcea.org/mission/intel/nightwatch.asp

AdityaM · Post by **AdityaM** » 20 Jan 2009 13:37

ramana wrote: 2) Whos is the villan of 2008? by Col. Anil Athale

In the article it says:

Antulay's villainy is out in the open, yes, but ought we not to consider who prompted him and continues to protect him? After all, he still continues to be an honourable minister in the Union cabinet

Who is the Minister being referred to?

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 25 Jan 2009 16:25

This brilliant, retd. Paki Col. tears the Indian dossier to shreds

Questions, questions & more questions.

The stupid Hindu Indians do not even know how to fabricate a credible story.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 27 Jan 2009 00:50

SSridhar wrote:This brilliant, retd. Paki Col. tears the Indian dossier to shreds

Questions, questions & more questions.

The stupid Hindu Indians do not even know how to fabricate a credible story.

Mumbai dossier a fairy tale
By RAFI NASIM submitted 2 days ago
? The hostages are of use only as long as you do not come under fire. If you are still threatened then do not saddle yourself with the burden of the hostages. Immediately kill them.

? Do not be taken alive, kill all hostages including the three foreigners and the women but do not kill the two Muslims you are holding. Keep your phone switched on so that we can hear the gunfire.

? Throw one or two grenades on the navy and the police teams which are outside.

? Keep two magazines and three grenades aside and expend the rest of your ammunition.

? Brother you have to fight, this being a matter of the prestige of Islam

The militants conducted their mission for three days killing people and destroying property. By the morning of November 29 nine of them were killed by the Indian forces leaving Ajmal Kasab as the only survivor. The terrorist missions are never planned and conducted in such a stupid manner. The militants are trained and briefed properly about the mission and left to act according to the situation.

Contrary to what has been projected by the foolish author of this document, the terrorists act independently and are never controlled from the base. The phone messages mentioned above are fake and concocted merely to indicate Pakistan's involvement in this episode. The attackers normally accomplish their mission in one go. For a longer campaign like this a base is required with proper protection by the locals.

Another flimsy piece of evidence through which the Indian authorities have tried to convince the foreign countries about Pakistan's involvement is that the militants left behind in the trawler, stuff like a bottle of Dew soda packed in Karachi, pistols bearing markings of a gun manufacturer in Peshawar and other Pakistani made items like a match box, detergent powder and shaving cream. With the trade relations and passenger traffic open between the two countries, how difficult it is to collect such items from various sources and produce them before the observers? Let me inform them that Lahore has a business centre called 'Pan Gali' where all sorts of Indian items are available.

Apart from Pakistan India has given the 52-page dossier to the US intelligence agency CIA also. While the ISI is said to have given its feed back to India let us see how intelligently and realistically the CIA interprets the same. If the USA can keep aside its newly found love for India and examines the whole affair impartially, I am sure they will find that Pakistan has no hand in this sordid episode. To my political understanding India has two motives behind the creation of this drama, to hide its own support to militants in Balochistan and to put the Kashmir issue in the back burner for another few years.

The writer is a retired colonel

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 27 Jan 2009 02:32

Jagan wrote:Theres a story acompanying the graphic that does a pretty good job of the event timeline

HOLE BLOWN THROUGH CONSPIRACY THEORY
TOI Pieces Together The Last Hours Of Mumbai’s Three Police Officers On The Fateful Night Of November 26
S Ahmed Ali & Mateen Hafeez | TNN

“A fellow policeman informed them that the terrorists were spotted walking towards (the nearby) Cama Hospital,’’ said city police commissioner Hasan Gafoor. Meanwhile, Karkare received a wireless message saying, “Additional police commissioner Sadanand Date is injured at Cama Hospital. A bodyguard is seriously injured, while another constable is dead.’’

My friend from Mumbai has met ACP Date. To see ACP on Nov 26 Karkare ended up in Cama Hospital.

Anabhaya · Post by **Anabhaya** » 27 Jan 2009 03:29

AdityaM wrote:
ramana wrote: 2) Whos is the villan of 2008? by Col. Anil Athale
In the article it says:
Antulay's villainy is out in the open, yes, but ought we not to consider who prompted him and continues to protect him? After all, he still continues to be an honourable minister in the Union cabinet
Who is the Minister being referred to?

Pawar. Or Arjun Singh.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 30 Jan 2009 00:09

'India protecting western world from Lashkar's hate'

The US Senate was told that India "unfortunately" had become the "sponge" that was protecting America and the western liberal world from the hate unleashed by Lashkar-e-Toiba which had emerged as second only to the Al-Qaeda in being a threat to global security.
As the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs concluded its hearings on “Lessons from the Mumbai Terrorist Attacks,” two influential policy advisors testified that despite better preventive and response systems in the US, a Mumbai-like attack on America by LeT was “not inconceivable”.

“It would be a gross error to treat the terrorism facing India — including the terrible recent atrocities — as simply a problem for New Delhi alone. In a very real sense, the outage in Bombay was fundamentally a species of global terrorism not merely because the assailants happened to believe in an obscurantist brand of Islam but, more importantly, because killing Indians turned out to be simply interchangeable with killing citizens of some fifteen different nationalities for no apparent reason whatsoever,” said Ashley J Tellis, Senior Associate with the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace, a prominent think-tank.

The testimonies — the first since Barack Obama took over on January 20 — come at a time when the new administration is in the process of unveiling its foreign policy priorities for South Asia, having just announced a special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan in Richard Holbrooke.
Tellis, who in his previous role as senior advisor to the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs had been closely involved in the negotiations for the civil nuclear agreement between India and US, said the fact that LeT had not mounted any direct attacks on the American homeland was not because of want of motivation.

“Given the juicier and far more vulnerable US targets in southern Asia, LeT has simply found it more convenient to attack these in situ rather than over extend itself in reaching out to the continental United States,” he said.

“India has unfortunately become the ‘sponge’ that protects us all. India’s very proximity to Pakistan, which has developed into the epicenter of global terrorism during the last thirty years, has resulted in New Delhi absorbing most of the blows unleashed by those terrorist groups that treat it as a common enemy along with Israel, the United States, and the West more generally,” he said.

Brian Michael Jenkins, senior advisor with the RAND Corporation, another policy group that recently came out with a report on the Mumbai incident, said the attacks in Mumbai showed that the global struggle against the jihadists was far from over.

“Al Qaeda is not the only galaxy in the jihadist universe — new contenders that have signed on to Al Qaeda’s ideology of global terror,” Jenkins said referring to LeT.

“Could a Mumbai-style attack happen in the United States? It could. The difference lies in planning and scale... Could a team of terrorists, recruited and trained abroad as the Mumbai attackers were, be inserted into the United States, perhaps on a US-registered fishing vessel or pleasure boat, to carry out a Mumbai-style attack? Although our intelligence has greatly improved, the answer again must be a qualified yes,” Jenkins said in his testimony.

Describing the clear links that LeT had with Pakistan’s official agencies — “the question whether these murderous acts (in Mumbai) were sanctioned by elements within the Pakistani state is prima facie not absurd in light of the ISI’s traditionally close relationship with LeT,” Tellis suggested that the Obama administration needed to treat India’s concerns about terrorism more seriously than the United States had done so far.

“Of all the terrorist groups present in South Asia, and there are many, LeT represents a threat to regional and global security second only to al-Qaeda,” Tellis said.

“If the United States fails to recognize that the struggle against terrorism ought to be indivisible because Indian security is as important to New Delhi as American security is to Washington, future Indian governments could choose to respond to the problems posed by Pakistani groups such as LeT in ways that may undermine regional security and make the US effort to transform Pakistan more difficult than it already is,” he said.

Neilz · Post by **Neilz** » 30 Jan 2009 12:37

Pak again at its denial........
http://www.rediff.com/news/2009/jan/30m ... kistan.htm

"Pakistan's territory was not used so far as we know, so far as the investigators have made a conclusion. It could have been some other place but not the United Kingdom as well," Pakistan's envoy to Britain Wahid Shamshul Hasan said.

To a question that people in India and some other parts of the world will not believe the findings, he told a TV channel, "Why are they not going to believe it if we say so and if we say that we will give the facts that it (Pakistani territory) was not used, it could be some other place".

Bakistan giving it..... that means a good mopping work is done.

"We are not going to do any whitewashing business. We believe in going after facts and will try to satisfy India with whatever we find and our findings will be acceptable to the world because we are not addressing only Indian concerns".

.... wanna see what our netas do.... next

step cong

"You collect the material, then you sort it out, you re-do it and re-read it. That requires time, so I am sure once they complete it they will come out with concrete facts that will satisfy the world as to Pakistan's non-involvement in Mumbai attacks," he claimed.

only f*** him & pak can ....

but on a serious note what is really on there mind. Particularly on this case too many contry involved. And every 1 confirmed that it was from PAK land...... world is only waiting for PAK action.... and PAK is bringing "poofs".. thats its not from there territory. How can they think they can talk of this..... it will only put an end to their credibility... will become a laughing stock ......

One comments on rediff page....

there will be retributions.... take care & think twice...
by manjunath naik on Jan 30, 2009 12:25 PM Permalink | Hide replies

Pakistan should be aware that they cannot get away with this one. They have definitely mastered the art of deceit, but this one is too big for them to chew. There are just too many on board in this investigation. Playing with language/territory/plans etc will buy you time but not the goodwill that was expected to own up and put the house in order. Hope and pray, they are aware of the path they are threading themselves into. Take care Pakistan and do think twice before you commit to your findings. There is more to come based on the report............

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 30 Jan 2009 12:58

By claiming that Pakistani soil was not used for planning attacks, Pakistan is playing with words once again. It might point to J&K or PoK where the plans were made because that's where JuD moved its HQ after LeT was banned. The ban was not applicable in PoK. Pakistan may claim PoK as 'disputed area' and not really part of Pakistan yet.

Baljeet · Post by **Baljeet** » 31 Jan 2009 10:48

Don't Know if this is the right thread. I am so proud of MS Dhoni, he went to Manesar to pay his respect for a moment lets leave all other caveats aside. Here is the video

Dhoni at NSG Compound

sum · Post by **sum** » 31 Jan 2009 11:25

Baljeet wrote:Don't Know if this is the right thread. I am so proud of MS Dhoni, he went to Manesar to pay his respect for a moment lets leave all other caveats aside. Here is the video

Dhoni at NSG Compound

MSD sure is as fit as they get.

BTW, even SRT and Bhajji went to the compound...the videos must be on CNN-IBN.

SRT broke down and wept when being told about all the NSG martyrs.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 31 Jan 2009 20:12

Buk Buk Dutt and NDTV's intimidatory moves to silence critics of their Commie masters agenda.

Chyetanya Kunte is an Indian blogger living in the Netherlands. On 27th of November, 2008 during the terror attacks in Mumbai he wrote a blog post (now available through Google cache) criticizing Indian private television channel New Delhi Television (NDTV) and particularly their group editor Barkha Dutt's coverage of the incident.

The post was deleted from Chyetanya's blog, and on 26th of January, 2009 he posted this apology confirming unconditional withdrawal of the post. This has sparked anger and strong condemnations in the Indian blogosphere.

Gaurav Sabnis at Vantage point predicts:

It does not take a PhD in reading between the lines to guess what happened. NDTV probably sent Kunte a legal notice, asking him to pull the post down, apologize, never write about them again, and pay an absurdly massive amount of money.

Retributions confirms quoting Barkha Dutts's Facebook message that Chyetanya Kunte was indeed served with a legal notice on 3rd of January. She apparently wrote:

Just because some random bloke can sit at a computer and make up stuff doesn't mean he or others like him need to be dignified with responding to their utter and total rubbish. rubbish is what it is. And as already mentioned. Mr. Kunte has been served a legal notice for libel by NDTV. That should give you some indication of where we and I stand. The freedom afforded by the Internet cannot be used to fling allegations at individuals or groups in the hope that they will then respond to things that aren't worthy of engagement.

Gaurav Mishra at Gauravonomics Blog compiles a roundup of condemnations by Indian bloggers for silencing Chyetanya. He also reveals:

Chyetanya sent me an email on January 25th, requesting me to take down the link to his post in my roundup of reactions to media coverage of the 11/26 Mumbai terror attack. I haven’t taken down the link and excerpt yet, but I have refrained from blogging about the issue so far out of concern for complicating Chyetanya’s and, perhaps, my own legal situation.

The fact is that Chyetanya wasn't the only one criticizing NDTV. According to Gaurav:

Bloggers were scathing in their criticism of Barkha Dutt’s sensationalistic coverage of the 11/26 Mumbai terror attack, accusing her of broadcasting sensitive information about the position of hostages and security troops, sensationalizing the news coverage, and being borderline hysterical, in general.

Nanopolitan tells NDTV in the post “congratulations NDTV“:

The apology you extracted reminds us of re-education programs that totalitarian regimes impose on dissidents. Or of re-induction rituals in third rate gangster movies.

Gargi at POV writes:

Amongst the institutions that has rapidly lost my trust, especially in the last two years, is the broadcast news media. Between the Prince episode, the Arushi Murder Case, running recorded footage with live bugs, with the 26/11 coverage - i have stopped watching TV news. I read magazines, i read newspapers and I read blogs. I do these because i have far more faith in the credibility of those who write - than the credibility of those who produce and package news on TV.

Updates of the Indian bloggers' reactions can be found at Desipundit. Blogbharti posts an appeal:

We urge all bloggers to send us their views on this issue. And to protest NDTV’s highhanded efforts to curb our freedom of speech.

Posted by Rezwan 2 Responses to
“India: Blogger silenced”
January 30th, 2009 at 22:25 pm Hari Sud:

I saw the NDTV coverage of Mumbai carnage. But I did not know about Cheytanaya’s blog. I am outraged at first how NDTV covers news especially riots and other special events like strikes, cananage and stampede etc, second at challenging anybody who is crtitical of their coverage. Somebody has to stand up to NDTV and tell them that media is to police itself or be policed by the government. It is very unpleasant to know that NDTV is so powerful that little bloggers are being intimidated.

January 31st, 2009 at 4:10 am Adarsh:

I had read some posts related to NDTV’s sensational journalism earlier also. The lack of professional journalistic standards is very apparent. More than that, the fact that NDTV lawyers have forced a blogger to withdraw his post, is appalling. If the channel has the freedom to air their “VIEWS”, why take that freedom away from a Blogger?

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 04 Feb 2009 23:11

Can someone go thru the stories and comeup with time line starting from when kasab was recruited from his village? Include the warnings from US and RAW folks and then the warnings again. Add the SIM cards sold in Kolkota also.

Thanks, ramana

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 05 Feb 2009 03:27

If we do a timeline from when Kasab was trained onwards what we find is that TSp had readied a terrorist squad to attack India from the sea some time back say 1-2years. Looking at which areas are accessible Mumbai was the prime target for such an attack. There were sporadic warnings from US and own intel agencies but nothing clear cut. At same time GOI was doing its own thing by ensuring SIM cards are sold to dubious characters to get a chance to eavesdrop on terror networks. Sort of low budget electronic surveillance. Somewhere in mid September there were definite warnings to India. Maybe India thought they could trap them by appearing careless. Somehow the TSP wised up decided not carry through the attack at that time. Might even have shelved it. Then there were a series of events that gave them hope that if they created a mess the US would intervene- the troop situation in Afghanistan, the Pakibanization of FATA, the US pressure to do more, the Obama interview on kashmir, the Reidel and Ahmed Rashid article on Kashmir etc. So they went ahead with the Nov attack.

The MKN types got blind sided when they got new warnings for they thought it was another case of boy crying wolf. So he did nothing except warn the Navy to chase some ghost fishing boats. He should have activated the defences in depth incase the NAvy didnt get them. The ATS was busy trying to fix Hindu terrorism charges under Pawar's guy R.R. Patil. The guests at Taj complained of the security being too much for their revelry for Thanksgiving. And all that led to increasing the casualties of the terrorists attack. The CST attack in which Kasab took part was one of the unfortunate turn of events but gave the chance for Mumbai police to redeem their honor.

The TSP aims were: unify their sorry divided nation due to external threat, move troops to the Indian border and let the jihadis a free rein in the Pakiban areas, get more aid from US as pro quid quo for bringing back the troops to the West, force US to pressure India on Kashmir, show India down and boost morale of their sorry jihadis and forces.

One reason why the US keeps telling of how it warned GOI is its does not want to lose the goodwill among Indian people despite its support to TSP and stopping Indian govt from retaliation. A hidden motive could be they want a clash between the two and claim flash point and try to carve a role for themselves.

Indian govt was caught off guard and is on quick march to retrieve its credibility but by its own actions has limited its options. A lot of gaps built up in the last few years have shown up- intel, police, counter terrorist actions, equipment, Army readiness, Cabinet crisis response, MMS heart attack requiring bypass eventually etc.

In all the hungama a hazy picture is emerging of what is possible and is for a future post.

Raju · Post by **Raju** » 05 Feb 2009 10:56

Plz note: No major terrorist attacks post 26/11/08 to 05/02/09.

what does the public make out of this ?

Rudradev · Post by **Rudradev** » 05 Feb 2009 11:54

Plz note: No major terrorist attacks post 26/11/08 to 05/02/09.

what does the public make out of this ?

It is not atypical, looking at previous years' patterns. The following is a list cross-posted from Shiv's "Reference" thread.

December 13, 2001: Parliament attack

January 2002: Parakram mobilization in full swing; 500,000 troops on border; Jan 12, Musharraf makes "conciliatory speech"

May 14, 2002: Kaluchak massacre

September 2002: Parakram demobilization begins

September 25, 2002- Akshardham Temple Fidayeen attack/siege kills 29 worshippers and wounds 79.

March 13, 2003 - Bomb attack on a commuter train in Mumbai kills 11 people.

August 25, 2003 - Two car bombs kill about 60 in Mumbai. Aug. 15, 2004 - A bomb explodes in the northeastern state of Assam, killing 16 people, mostly schoolchildren, and wounding dozens.

October 29, 2005 - Sixty-six people are killed when three blasts rip through markets in New Delhi.

March 7, 2006 - At least 15 people are killed and 60 wounded in three blasts in the northern Hindu pilgrimage city of Varanasi.

July 11, 2006 - More than 180 people are killed in seven bomb explosions at railway stations and on trains in Mumbai that are blamed on Islamist militants.

September 8, 2006 - At least 32 people are killed in a series of explosions, including one near a mosque, in Malegaon town, 260 km (160 miles) northeast of Mumbai.

Feb. 19, 2007 - Two bombs explode aboard a train heading from India to Pakistan; at least 66 passengers, most of them Pakistanis, burn to death.

May 18, 2007 - A bomb explodes during Friday prayers at a historic mosque in the southern city of Hyderabad, killing 11 worshippers. Police later shoot dead five people in clashes with hundreds of enraged Muslims who protest against the attack.

Aug. 25, 2007 - Three coordinated explosions at an amusement park and a street stall in Hyderabad kill at least 40 people.

May 13, 2008 - Seven bombs rip through the crowded streets of the western city of Jaipur, killing at least 63 people in markets and outside Hindu temples.

July 25 - Eight small bombs hit the IT city of Bangalore, killing at least one woman and wounding at least 15.

July 26 - At least 16 small bombs explode in Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat, killing 45 people and wounding 161. A little-known group called the “Indian Mujahideen” claims responsibility for the attack and the May 13 attack in Jaipur.

Sept 13 - At least five bombs explode in crowded markets and streets in the heart of New Delhi, killing at least 18 people and injuring scores more. The Indian Mujahideen again claim responsibility.

Oct 30 - Eleven bomb blasts rip through Guwahati, the main city of northeastern Assam state. Detonated in quick succession, they kill at least 68 people and wound 335.

Nov 26 - At least 101 people are killed in Mumbai as an unidentified number of armed attackers shoot at and toss grenades into crowds at landmark hotels and buildings.

Nov 29 - Police finally end the siege at the iconic Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai. More than 155 people, including foreigners, were killed in militant attacks on two luxury hotels and landmarks across the city.

If you look at each pair of major terrorist incidents marked in red, you see a hiatus between one year's attacks ending and the next year's beginning.

These are:

Sep 25 '02 to March 23 '03
Oct 29 '05 to March 7 '06
Sept 8 '06 to Feb 19 '07
Aug 25 '07 to May 13 '08
Nov 26 '08...

It seems fairly common to see a hiatus in the later part of the year, until the spring of the following year. Nov 26 was actually uncommonly late in the year for a Pakistani terrorist operation. I wonder if this has to do with the J&K infilitration routes getting snowed under. This year, the ascendancy of Sheikh Hasina's ANP in Bangladesh could have further complicated matters for the ISI in using that route for the infiltration of terrorists as well.

Note also the decreased frequency of attacks during the Parakram mobilization and the tremendous increase during the UPA regime as compared with the NDA regime's tenure. Even the Kaluchak massacre was a J&K based op.

After the Parliament attack, the next major terrorist incident in the rest of India was Akshardham in late September 2002. That took place only after American pressure had ensured that the Parakram mobilization was not going to result in an India-Pakistan war.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 17 Feb 2009 04:53

Training ground in Pakistan: Reports Geo TV on Mumbai attackers

Pakistani news channel Geo TV has uncovered the training grounds of the terrorists who attacked Mumbai in November 2008.

The channel claims to have found out the training ground and the house that Mumbai attacker Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab and his partners used for training.

The area where the terrorists trained is situated about 100 kilometres from the India-Pakistan border.

Geo TV traced the isolated building in Dori which could have been the training ground for the 26/11 attackers. The door is bolted at present, but inside there are unmistakable traces of people living.

Blankets and mattresses lie scattered while Islamic literature is stacked in order and in one corner a shelf full of medicines is stored.

The newspapers lying on the floor on the floor with reports of the Mumbai carnage indicate the building was in use even during and after the attack.

The caretaker of the house says he was ordered by the suspected terrorists to stay away from the house.

"I had been given some numbers. I did not speak to them," says the caretaker Mumtaz.

Residents of the area say seven terrorists stayed in the house and travelled in a motor launch.

Located just 40 kilometres away from Karachi, from where the terrorists sailed for Mumbai, Dori was a perfect launch pad for the 26/11 attackers.

Meanwhile, an anti-terrorist court (ATC) in Pakistan has sent eight accused including Lashkar-e-Toiba founder Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of the Mumbai terror attacks, on a 14-day remand to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Dawn News has reported that the eight accused, against whom a First Information report (FIR) was registered by the FIA on Thursday, were produced before the ATC Judge Sakhiu Muhammad Kahut at some undisclosed location.

They have reportedly been charged with planning, financing and abetting the Mumbai terror attacks.

Earlier, government sources had told Dawn News that the trial of the eight accused would be held at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi because of security reasons.

Officials say the FIA has also requested the government to provide two bullet-proof vehicles for transporting the high-profile suspected terrorists.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 17 Feb 2009 12:18

CIA Helped India, Pakistan Share Secrets in Probe of Mumbai Siege

In the aftermath of the Mumbai terrorist attacks, the CIA orchestrated back-channel intelligence exchanges between India and Pakistan, allowing the two former enemies to quietly share highly sensitive evidence while the Americans served as neutral arbiters, according to U.S. and foreign government sources familiar with the arrangement.

The exchanges, which began days after the deadly assault in late November, gradually helped the two sides overcome mutual suspicions and paved the way for Islamabad's announcement last week acknowledging that some of the planning for the attack had occurred on Pakistani soil, the sources said.

The intelligence went well beyond the public revelations about the 10 Mumbai terrorists, and included sophisticated communications intercepts and an array of physical evidence detailing how the gunmen and their supporters planned and executed their three-day killing spree in the Indian port city. Indian and Pakistani intelligence agencies separately shared their findings with the CIA, which relayed the details while also vetting the intelligence and filling in blanks with gleanings from its networks, the sources said. The U.S. role was described in interviews with Pakistani officials and confirmed by U.S. sources with detailed knowledge of the arrangement. The arrangement is ongoing, and it is unknown whether it will continue after the Mumbai case is settled.

Officials from both countries said the unparalleled cooperation was a factor in Pakistan's decision to bring criminal charges against nine Pakistanis accused of involvement in the attack, a move that appeared to signal a thawing of tensions on the Indian subcontinent after weeks of rhetorical warfare.

"India shared evidence bilaterally, but that's not what cinched it," said a senior Pakistani official familiar with the exchanges. "It was the details, shared between intelligence agencies, with the CIA serving mainly as a bridge." The FBI also participated in the vetting process, he said.

A U.S. government official with detailed knowledge of the sharing arrangement said the effort ultimately enabled the Pakistani side to "deal as forthrightly as possible with the fallout from Mumbai," he said. U.S. and Pakistani officials who described the arrangement agreed to do so on the condition of anonymity, citing diplomatic and legal sensitivities. Indian officials declined to comment for this story.

"Intelligence has been a good bridge," the U.S. official said. "Everyone on the American side went into this with their eyes open, aware of the history, the complexities, the tensions. But at least the two countries are talking, not shooting."

The U.S. effort to foster cooperation was begun under the Bush administration and given new emphasis by an Obama White House that fears that a renewed India-Pakistan conflict could undermine progress in Afghanistan -- and possibly lead to nuclear war. The new administration sees Pakistan as central to its evolving Afghan war strategy, and also recognizes that it cannot "do Pakistan without doing India," as Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, put it in a recent interview.

"In an ideal world, the challenge associated with Mumbai -- handled well, led well -- would lead to the two working together," he said.

There is little public support for rapprochement, and domestic politics in both countries often dictate hostility rather than cooperation.

Mullen said he hoped the countries could restore some of the goodwill lost in the Mumbai case.

Despite public and political criticism, the two governments had taken "significant steps" in the months preceding Mumbai to diminish the tensions between them over the long-standing Kashmir territorial dispute. But after Nov. 26, "a lot was put aside [and] suspended."

The Mumbai attack was staged by 10 heavily armed terrorists who rampaged through the city for three days, killing more than 170 people and wounding more than 300. Nine of the terrorists were killed, but the lone survivor confessed that the assault had been planned in Pakistan by Lashkar-i-Taiba, a group that seeks independence for Indian-controlled Kashmir. India has asserted that elements of Pakistan's government or intelligence services provided logistical support for the attack, an accusation that Islamabad flatly denies.

In recent days, Pakistan has moved aggressively against Lashkar-i-Taiba and allied groups, and has signaled its intention to work more closely with India. A Pakistani government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, insisted that Islamabad's commitment was genuine.

"Any Pakistanis who are shown to have been involved will be treated as the criminals they are," he said. He predicted that the two governments would cooperate to an unprecedented degree in upcoming prosecutions and trials, which he said will occur separately in the two countries with participation from both sides. He described Pakistan's response as decisive and "proof that we will not tolerate" groups that support terrorism.

Such policies pose clear risks for the embattled government of President Asif Ali Zardari, who faces a domestic backlash for cracking down on groups that Pakistan helped establish years ago as part of its anti-India strategy. Zardari also has come under fire for tolerating occasional U.S. missile strikes against suspected terrorists inside Pakistan's autonomous tribal region near the Afghan border. A strike Saturday reportedly killed 27, most of them foreign fighters.

"This is a dangerous path for him," said Shuja Nawaz, director of the South Asia Center of the Atlantic Council of the United States. A sustained clampdown would require a sustained commitment by the civilian government and the army, and far more arrests than the 124 already announced, Nawaz said.

India, meanwhile, has been eager for the United States to pressure Pakistan on terrorism in general and Mumbai in particular. But it has long rejected any attempt to interfere in Kashmir.

Early this month, a senior Indian official recalled that Barack Obama had suggested a linkage during the presidential campaign, saying in a foreign policy essay that he would "encourage dialogue" on Kashmir so that Pakistan could pay more attention to terrorists on its border with Afghanistan.

If Obama "does have any such views," Indian National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan told Indian television, "then he is barking up the wrong tree." Narayanan said India had made clear to Washington when Richard C. Holbrooke was appointed the administration's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan that India-Pakistan relations should not be part of his portfolio.

Holbrooke, who plans a stop in New Delhi at the end of his tour of the region, appeared to agree in a report last month by the New York-based Asia Society, where he was chairman before his appointment. The report called for Obama to continue the "de-hyphenation" of U.S. foreign policy toward India and Pakistan practiced by the Bush administration.

Concerned about China and searching for a positive new foreign policy headline at a low point in the Iraq war, Bush policymakers tried to elevate India to the status of major U.S. partner. The centerpiece of the policy was a bilateral civil nuclear agreement signed by Bush last year but still awaiting final action by Obama.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, asked last week about the agreement, responded vaguely that "I don't have the specifics of where we are on this particular day with regard to implementation, but it is certainly something that we want to see happen, and nothing more beyond that."

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 17 Feb 2009 13:52

Philip wrote:CIA Helped India, Pakistan Share Secrets in Probe of Mumbai Siege

India, meanwhile, has been eager for the United States to pressure Pakistan on terrorism in general and Mumbai in particular.

What has US done on Dawood for the last 15 years. They have encouraged the tension between India and Pakistan

dnivas · Post by **dnivas** » 17 Feb 2009 14:13

Acharya wrote:
Philip wrote:CIA Helped India, Pakistan Share Secrets in Probe of Mumbai Siege

India, meanwhile, has been eager for the United States to pressure Pakistan on terrorism in general and Mumbai in particular.
What has US done on Dawood for the last 15 years. They have encouraged the tension between India and Pakistan

Encouraged or not, what has India done with regard to curtailing that POS's activities in India Also how hard is it going to signal to dawood, that he is firmly in the cross hair. a few hints and i bet he would overstay his welcome in pukistan.

Gaurav_S · Post by **Gaurav_S** » 24 Feb 2009 07:03

This is a MUST watch video where Times Now news reader and Sohail talks hard and puts his views on India against terror- bang on spot!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ3d_598sK8

Anyone from Mumbai been recently to Gateway of India and Taj. Have some security been in place now..?? 3 months has past these attacks and situation is still same.

We have developed habit of talking hard at the time of attacks but these things go in air within matter of few days.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 24 Feb 2009 11:12

Speeches in DC about how

Fbi Helped India probe the Mumbai terror attacks

While the UPA is still shell shocked the US is spinning about how they saved India. Just like Slumdog Millionaire show cases India's vibrancy.

Was Mumbai attack an experiment/simulation for first responders in First World etc? Look at the bandwagon of how many folks jumped on.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 24 Feb 2009 12:14

The Headlines Today special on the "bullet-by-bullet" commentary and monitoring by 26/11s Paki handlers is unmissable .It clearly exposes the arch-villains of the whole event as being Pakistani military men (in the opinion of former COAS Gen.Choudary and others),most probably of the ISI from a control room in Pak,where minute by minute monitoring of the entire seige of the Taj was conducted.Instructions on consuming biscuits,water and when to fire guns ,throw throw grenades,monitoring of counter-terror operations,etc.,were all taking place from the Paki control centre or "war room" as our experts have determined.The diabolic nature of the chief plotters and their devilish intent is revealed in graphic detail.So was the manner in which the terrorists who took over Chabad House were also tutored in their terror.

The GOI now has no alternative but to take the most harsh diplomatic measures against Pak if it has shamefully abandoned the military strike option.The lengthy manner in whcih Pak has in miserly fashion at last admitted that Kasab is a Paki and that the plotters were from Pak,indicates that it is just spinning out the fable in its own interests,sowing confusion whenever and wherever it can,in the hope that with the passage of time,and elections due in India,it can escape retribution.It is in the sewer right now with the events in Swat and the abdication of Pak's sovereignity yet again by Zardari-asking China to intervene and take charge of negotiations,indicates that Pak is truly a Chinese province.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 24 Feb 2009 21:05

26/11 terrorists' phones traced to Italy, US: Report

Terrorists behind 2008's attacks on Mumbai used cell phones that were activated in the United States and paid for with funds sent from Italy, an Italian newspaper reported on Tuesday.

‘Corriere della Sera’ daily said India sent the intelligence information to Italy and other countries so anti-terrorism investigators could attempt to expose any ties to the network behind the November attack that killed at least 179 people.

Raju · Post by **Raju** » 24 Feb 2009 21:17

I am having very bad feeling about 26/11 more so after the role US has appropriated for itself as being saviour.

If they are being so brazen, it obviously means that this is the beginning of their end-game and any slack on our part and any covert operators working within us will repay their worth to their masters quadruply. At some level Pakistan has also been caught by surprise by the brazenness of this attack and have offered to co-operate with India after initial hesitation. This is a new scenario for us, how will this be played out needs to be seen.

How can we prepare ourselves against this ? We are under twin attacks, the first is on the economic power through attack on economic centres and the second is to nip any gain in soft power by ventures like SDM. These people are desperate.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 25 Feb 2009 04:00

Gerard wrote:26/11 terrorists' phones traced to Italy, US: Report
Terrorists behind 2008's attacks on Mumbai used cell phones that were activated in the United States and paid for with funds sent from Italy, an Italian newspaper reported on Tuesday.

‘Corriere della Sera’ daily said India sent the intelligence information to Italy and other countries so anti-terrorism investigators could attempt to expose any ties to the network behind the November attack that killed at least 179 people.

I dont understand this story. It looks like a Paki from Spain, wired money from Italy to a company in US to order five cell phones with Austrian code. And these were picked by someone with Indian nationality and shipped to TSp to be used for attacks. Isnt there an alert in US for foreign orders of GSM cell phones? And is the requirement for Austrian code a desirable thing for the phones to work in India? Whats the significance of this info?

Tilak · Post by **Tilak** » 25 Feb 2009 04:32

Philip wrote:CIA Helped India, Pakistan Share Secrets in Probe of Mumbai Siege

What Pakistan Already Knew
Monday, February 23, 2009; Page A18

The report that U.S.-moderated intelligence-sharing between India and Pakistan "helped the two sides overcome mutual suspicions" is at best fanciful ["CIA Helped India, Pakistan Share Secrets in Probe of Mumbai Siege," front page, Feb. 16].

Joby Warrick and Karen DeYoung will not convince anyone who knows the geopolitics of South Asia that Pakistan has failed to act against groups on its soil that target India simply because it lacked intelligence about such groups before New Delhi provided it, courtesy of Langley.

Having had a ringside view of India-Pakistan relations for several decades, I believe the truth is that "groups that Pakistan helped establish years ago as part of its anti-India strategy" are there precisely for that reason: because an anti-India strategy is official policy in Islamabad and at the army's general headquarters in Rawalpindi. That will not change because of evidence that can be presented in a court of law or otherwise acted on, just because it has been passed on to Pakistan through the generosity of the United States, as the report would have us believe.

K. P. NAYAR
The writer is a columnist for The Telegraph, an Indian newspaper in Kolkata.