India, Afghanistan to share info to deal with terror
With both countries facing terrorism emanating from Pakistan, India and Afghanistan on Wednesday decided to step up information exchange to deal with the scourge.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is on a two-day visit in Kabul, discussed cooperation in the field of security and developmental projects with President Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister Rangin Dafdar Spanta.
After his meetings, Mukherjee said he had had very useful discussions on bilateral issues of cooperation.
Spanta said both the countries face "same terrorism from the same source", apparently referring to Pakistan which he did not name.
He said the two sides discussed the problem of terrorism and ways to deal with it.
Asked how India and Afghanistan would cooperate to deal with terrorism, Spanta said, "we have very little cooperation in security and information sharing. We will increase that".
On whether there should be military cooperation between India and Afghanistan, Spanta said, "the two countries are victims of terrorism and need to recognise the problem and focus on concrete measure against it".
"In our region, there are some entities who use terrorism as tool for foreign policy. This should end," the Afghan Foreign Minister said.
He, however, felt that the civilian government of Pakistan was determined to cooperate in fight against terrorism.
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India, Iran to discuss gas pipeline project today
India and Iran are expected to discuss ways to break the deadlock over the proposed tri-nation gas pipeline via Pakistan and explore ways to enhance trade during a high-level meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The Foreign Office Consultations are also expected to deliberate on ways to step up cooperation in various other fields.
Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon will lead the Indian delegation at the consultations while the Iranian side will be led by Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Mehdi Akhoundzadeh.
Menon had traveled to Tehran for the Foreign Office Consultations in December last year.
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India says setback to ties with Pak, asks Islamabad to act
With evidence pointing to involvement of Pakistani terrorists in the Mumbai strikes, India on Monday summoned Pakistan’s envoy in New Delhi and demanded "strong action" against those responsible for the "outrage" which New Delhi said had dealt a "serious setback" to ties.
High Commissioner Shahid Malik was summoned by Joint Secretary (Pakistan) in the MEA, T C A Raghavan, who issued a demarche (protest note) over Islamabad’s failure to curb terrorism emanating from its soil.
"He (Malik) was informed that the recent terrorist attack on Mumbai was carried out by elements from Pakistan," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash told reporters at New Delhi on Monday.
Malik was told that "Government (of India) expected that strong action would be taken against those elements, whosoever they may be, responsible for this outrage," Prakash said.
New Delhi made it clear that Pakistan’s actions should "match the sentiments expressed by its leadership that it wishes to have a qualitatively new relationship with India," he said.
Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma said the attacks in Mumbai has dealt a "serious setback to the ongoing process of improving environment in the region and normalisation of relations (with Pakistan)."
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At least 101 killed in Mumbai shootings, blasts
Gunfire rang out as commandos and armed police laid siege to gunmen holding foreigners hostage in two of the plushest hotels in India’s commercial capital on Thursday, after attacks that killed at least 101 people.
Scores of tourists remained trapped in the Taj Mahal hotel, a 105-year-old city landmark, and the five-star Trident Oberoi in Mumbai’s downtown peninsula, its financial and tourist heart, officials said.
At least 101 people had been killed, including six foreigners, police said.
Another 287 people were wounded in the attacks, claimed by the little-known Deccan Mujahideen group. India’s markets regulator said the Bombai Stock Exchange and the national exchange would not open on Thursday because of the unfolding crisis.
Small groups of militants armed with automatic weapons and grenades burst into luxury hotels, a hospital and a railway station late on Wednesday, as well as an iconic cafe popular with foreign tourists, firing indiscriminately and tossing grenades.
They appeared to target British and Americans as they sought hostages before settling in for a prolonged siege.
"There are many people trapped inside the two hotels it seems, and we are hearing reports of constant gunfire, mostly from the Taj hotel," a duty officer at the Mumbai police control room said.
Police said they had shot dead four gunmen and arrested nine suspects. They said 12 policemen were killed, including Hemant Karkare, the chief of the police anti-terrorist squad in Mumbai.
As dawn broke on the red, white and grey brick facade of the Taj on Mumbai’s waterfront, the hotel was surrounded by armed police, ambulances and fire engines, with intermittent firing heard, and flames and smoke still escaping from the roof.
At least two guests, trapped in their rooms in the Taj, phoned TV stations. One said the firedoors were locked, another said he had seen two dead bodies by the swimming pool.
"Two of my colleagues are still in there and the last we heard from them was three hours ago and then the phone battery died," said a German national who escaped the Taj. "We don’t know where they are."
India has suffered a wave of bomb attacks in recent years. Most have been blamed on Islamist militants, although police have also suspected Hindu extremists of carrying out some bombings.
The latest attacks came amid a slew of state elections, including in Kashmir, and could be an embarrassment for the ruling Congress party ahead of national elections next year, as well as potentially destabilising for the country.
"The fact that they were trying to segregate British and American passport holders, definitely suggests Islamist fervour," said strategic expert Uday Bhaskar. "This has very, very grave implications for India’s own domestic socio-economic harmony and this is a very serious turn of events."
In Mumbai, officials admitted the battle was not yet over.
"The situation is still not under control and we are trying to flush out any more terrorists hiding inside the two hotels," said Vilasrao Deshmukh, Maharashtra state chief minister.
A Maharashtra state official later told CNN that police had brought the situation under control.
The Mumbai attacks are also bound to spook investors in one of Asia’s largest and fastest-growing economies. Mumbai has seen several major bomb attacks in the past, but never anything so obviously targeted at foreigners.
"I guess they were after foreigners, because they were asking for British or American passports," said Rakesh Patel, a British witness who lives in Hong Kong and was staying at the Taj Mahal hotel on business. "They had bombs."
"They came from the restaurant and took us up the stairs," he told the NDTV channel, smoke stains covering his face. "Young boys, maybe 20 years old, 25 years old. They had two guns."
Japan’s foreign ministry said at least one Japanese national had been killed and one injured in the attacks, while South Korea said 26 of its nationals had escaped unharmed.
Police said at least 250 people were wounded in the attacks which also targeted the Cafe Leopold, perhaps the most famous restaurant and hang-out for tourists in the city and is featured in the bestselling novel Shantaram.
The Times of India said on its website that Mumbai’s domestic airport and two hospitals in the city had also been attacked.
An organisation calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen said it was behind the attacks, television channels said. The previously little known group sent an email to news organisations claiming responsibility.
Several hundred people had been evacuated from the Taj hotel, one witness said, but many more remained inside, some calling for help from the fifth floor. Firefighters broke windows to reach some trapped guests.
"We came down the fire exit, but I think they took some more people. They are trying to get to the roof," one foreigner told local television. "I think about 15 people (have been taken hostage), about half of them are foreigners.".
"I was in the restaurant inside Oberoi and I saw this series of gunshots and death which I don’t want to see again," a Spaniard who declined to give his name told Reuters.
"I crawled out into the kitchen and waited there, until I sensed it was all quiet and seemed over."
In Washington, the White House and US President-elect Barack Obama condemned the attacks, as did France, current president of the European Union, and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Bruce McIndoe, a travel security expert and President of iJET Intelligent Risk Systems, a private intelligence firm, said he had already advised his corporate clients to postpone travel to Mumbai, and warned there would be "ripple effects".
Australia’s foreign ministry told the country’s citizens they should avoid travel to Mumbai and those already there should remain in a safe location and follow the advice of local authorities. (Reuters)
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Obama Transition Statement on Terrorist Attacks in Mumbai
Obama Transition chief national security spokesperson Brooke Anderson condemned the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, on behalf of the president-elect, saying:
President-Elect Obama strongly condemns today’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and his thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the people of India. These coordinated attacks on innocent civilians demonstrate the grave and urgent threat of terrorism. The United States must continue to strengthen our partnerships with India and nations around the world to root out and destroy terrorist networks. We stand with the people of India, whose democracy will prove far more resilient than the hateful ideology that led to these attacks.
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Timeline of the Mumbai Bomb Blasts
6:58 p.m. – Serial blasts have rocked Bombay. AajTak is reporting 5 blasts, all in local trains along the Western line. The 5 blasts reported so far are in or around Mahim, Khar, Jogeshwari, Borivali and Bhayander. This is rush hour, and apparently the blasts have been very strong, so fatalities will be very high. All phone lines are jammed. Someone really wants riots in Bombay.
7:04 – The blast was at Matunga Road Station and not the Mahim station closeby. It turns out the blast was so intense that the station’s roof was demolished. It has also started raining pretty hard in several blast sites making relief and rescue very difficult.
7:20 – According to CNN-IBN, at least 20 are dead in the Matunga Road blast alone. At least 2 blasts have taken place in first class compartments.
7:25 – Live pictures from different blast sites show only normal people helping the injured. Not a single cop or paramedic is visible. And it has now been over an hour since the first blasts happened.
They just showed the compartment in which the blast occured. It is badly mangled. These have been VERY powerful blasts.
7:28 – CNBC is claiming 6 blasts. They are listing Matunga Road and Mahim as separate blasts. The two stations are very close to each other. It is not yet clear if these are separate blasts or if CNBC has gotten it wrong.
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Twelve bomb blasts rock northeast India
Twelve bomb blasts rock northeast India
Twelve coordinated bomb blasts across the troubled north-eastern Indian state of Assam have killed at least 30 people and wounded more than 80. Police said one of the blasts targeted a high security zone containing a court, offices and homes of senior…
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MUMBAI TERROR ATTACKS: A ‘Planned’ Operation Designed to Create Chaos
MUMBAI TERROR ATTACKS: A ‘Planned’ Operation Designed to Create Chaos
By Walid Phares
FOX News Contributor/Terror Expert
As we write this first assessment of the Terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, events are still ongoing inside the financial center of the Indian subcontinent. Here are the main points gathered so far:
Type of Operation
According to sources in Mumbai, armed groups and individuals have attacked at least eight (if not more) targets inside the city including the Taj Hotel, Oberoi Hotel (with most foreign tourists or guests, a railway Station, the Leopold Café and other locations. More shooting incidents are also being reported at the Trident hotel, a hospital and a highway leading to the airport and Assembly Hall. The terrorists fired indiscriminately against civilians and security elements, and lobbed grenades. At this writing sources are reporting between 40 to 80 to 100 deaths, more than 100 wounded and possible hostage taking. According to the same sources AK-47s, small arms, grenade were used. At least three foreigners are dead according to reports.
Design of the operations
In our estimate, this attack is a "complex" type, where small operations are aimed at creating chaos and triggering security deployment in many areas, while more precise operations could target higher targets such as hostage taking or similar situation.
Perpetrators
In view of the historical context, the precedents and latest analysis, the most likely groups that may be behind these attacks are the Lashkar e Toiba/SIMI (they now call themselves Indian Mujaheedin). These groups are Jihadists, have links to the other organizations in Kashmir but also inside Pakistan with pro-Taliban elements and eventually Al Qaeda. The ideological identification is most likely Jihadist although the group almost surely will issue a release to claim the attack.
According to my sources this is a "planned" operation of a very new type India. "Young boys ages 22 to 25 carried out these acts and bombs have been defused at different places. In our estimate this is a large Jihadi operation against one of the emerging economies and one of the largest democracies in Asia. The goal is to target India as a power engaged in the War on Terror but also to further destabilize the region, including Pakistan and its neighbor Afghanistan."
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T.O. residents condemn India terror attacks
Residents of Toronto’s Little India were struggling to come to grips with the terrorist attack in Mumbai yesterday that killed nearly 80 people and wounded hundreds.
Many were wondering if their family and friends in Mumbai were safe.
"My parents are in India and I’m worried about them. They went for a family wedding in Mumbai," Rashpal Multani said last night while searching his laptop for the latest news.
"It’s very bad and shouldn’t of happened. These people are separatists want to scare off people from India so the economy goes down. It is very bad."
A group of Muslim militants have claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Jawad Hussain, an American from Massachusetts visiting here, was shocked American tourists were being targeted.
"It is very surprising to me and the death toll is very sad. The government should be protecting citizens and foreigners from this. The government needs to collaborate to find the cross-border motives behind this," Hussain said.
The Indian government needs to spend billions, not millions, on security, Neeraj Kumar said.
"This is a cowardly act against humanity and innocent people. (Terrorists) won’t achieve freedom by this."
India is a target because of its friendship with the U.S. and England, Meera Ali said.
"Certain people want to prove a point … but this way? I totally condemn it," she said.
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Bomb Blast And Terrorist Firing In Mumbai 100 died
Mumbai city is under terrorist attack, yes once more, there were total 12 blasts in different areas in South Mumbai and firing at 5 places. Two five star hotels, Taj and Oberoi have been attacked.
5 terrorists are still inside Taj Hotel room no.631, there were total 4 blasts in Taj hotel and 2 in Oberoi. The police and the commandos have surrounded both the hotels and around 200 more NSG commandos are immediately called.
2 blasts happened inside a cab in 2 different areas. One below the flyover in Vile Parle near the domestic airport and another in Mazgaon area. One blast happened outside the assembly house; where as few terrorists threw grenades from the terrace of a building in Colaba.
The Police has so far succeeded in killing 2 terrorists and two have been nabbed. 2 policemen were killed in the crossfiring near Girgaum whereas 6o civilians lost their lives in the blasts today.
Maharashtra, Delhi and Gujarat states have been declared on high alert. 2 terrorist fled in a police van no. MH-01, BA-5179, which was parked near Metro cinema.
There are lot of civilians who are still trapped in the basement of Taj and Oberoi Hotel including a friend of mine as I type this story.
Its high time all the nations unitie together and fight terrorists and the barbarian act of killing innocents.
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