The targets are not obviously Hindu at all--they are the main tourist locations in the city, and they were after Americans, British and Israelis. They went after a building called Nariman House, where several Israeli and Jewish families live. It was international, not domestic considerations which seems to be have been driving them. Also they seem very well-resourced. Apparently they came into the city on boats, used hand grenades and automatic weapons. It suggest some sort of Al Qaeda connection. But the Indians have been pretty good at tracking them. So, it is puzzling.
The Nariman House is the home of the local Chabad. As of now, 101 people have been killed. 20 Israeli nationals are missing, as are the host family of the Chabad. They, and all those affected in this tragedy, are in our prayers.
The Times of India has the bigger picture:
In one of the most violent terror attacks on Indian soil, Mumbai came under an unprecedented night attack as terrorists used heavy machine guns, including AK-47s, and grenades to strike at the city's most high-profile targets -- the hyper-busy CST (formerly VT) rail terminus; the landmark Taj Hotel at the Gateway and the luxury Oberoi Trident at Nariman Point; the domestic airport at Santa Cruz; the Cama and GT hospitals near CST; the Metro Adlabs multiplex and Mazgaon Dockyard -- killing at least 101 and sending hundreds of injured to hospital, according to latest reports.
It turns out that many of the dead are police. The terrorists were clearly interested in going after Western interests, and if the first quote is right, they had special interests in Jews. Al-Qaeda has attacked Jewish targets before (e.g., Djerba, Istanbul synagogues and Mombasa tourists) and Jews worldwide have been forced to step up security.
This sort of thing has me worried at many different levels. One is for civil liberties. This, if all reports are accurate, seem like "domestic" terrorists, with the help of AQ. The best way to beat folks like this is through surveillance techniques, and argumets have been made for warrantless wiretaps. Maybe such a thing is justified in a country with known domestic terrorists - this is not the first time Bombay has been attacked.
Then again, free market behavior in such a situation can also be scary. Some life insurance packages have a rider insisting that the coveree not go to Israel. Would businesses feel similarly justified in denying groups of Jewish tourists from gathering because of security concerns? So far, no, and let's hope never.
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I hadn't read that Israeli's were included in the target group but it makes sense that the USA and Great Britan would be tied at the hip with our "51st State".
ReplyDeleteThis tragedy, is unfortunate to say the least. An organization calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen claimed it was behind Wednesday's attacks. Some analysts suggest that the little-known group is actually an amalgam of existing Indian terror groups, including the Mujahideen Kashmir.
Casualty figures varied, with the Associated Press reporting at least 82 dead. Reuters reported 86 people were killed, including 11 police officers, and 250 people were injured. The Associated Press, quoting a senior police official, said the chief of India's anti-terror squad was one of the dead. Of the gunmen, at least six were dead and nine had been arrested, according to the Associated Press.