Standoffs Against Militants Continue
<h6 class="byline"> BY SOMINI SENGUPTA AND MARK McDONALD 20 minutes ago </h6> Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the attackers probably had “external linkages,” an indication that outsiders would likely be blamed for the attacks that killed at least 101 people in Mumbai.

• The Lede: Latest on the Attacks
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• Times Topics: Terrorism in India

Sophisticated Attacks, but Al Qaeda Link Disputed
By MARK McDONALD and ALAN COWELL 3
Experts said that they had never heard of the group that claimed responsibility for the Mumbai attacks and that it was probably not a cell or group linked to Al Qaeda.

Live TV from Mumbai, India:

Mumbai hostage crisis heads for dramatic finish: Thirty-three hours after it began, the hostage crisis in Mumbai seems to be headed for its final moment as National Security Guard (NSG) commandos on Friday morning dramatically slithered down ropes from two military helicopters to the roof of a three-storey building to flush out terrorists holed up there.

Propaganda, News? LeT terrorists trained to carry out marine terror ops: Police on Thursday arrested a man named Ismail, an alleged Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist, in connection with a series of attacks across Mumbai’s busiest and most opulent areas over the last two days.

India declines Israeli offer of aid delegation to Mumbai: It appears the Indian government is not interested in high profile security assistance from Israel. Throughout the day, the Homefront Command prepared to send an aid delegation to India, but efforts were halted when it became clear that Mumbai was not enthusiastic about the prospect.

Hostages still held, at least 125 dead in India terror attacks: Indian military commandos continued to exchange fire with an unknown number of militants one day after coordinated groups of gunmen shot and blasted their way through tourist sites around Mumbai Wednesday night, apparently targeting American, Israelis and British citizens for use as hostages.

Singh: Mumbai attackers from outside India: The toll from Wednesday's series of coordinated terrorist attacks staged by masked gunman was set at 101 dead and 314 wounded. Teams of armed men launched simultaneous assaults on hotels and other "soft" targets in Mumbai's southern financial district and a building housing members of an Orthodox Jewish group.

Mumbai attackers may be Pakistani nationals: "There are indications that the perpetrators of the crime, who arrived in Mumbai by boats, are Pakistani nationals," authoritative sources said.

Pakistan FM asks India not to point finger for Mumbai attacks: The statement was a response to a televised speech by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in which he said that those behind coordinated attacks against Mumbai were based "outside the country" and warned "neighbours" who provide a haven to anti-India militants.

Propaganda? Possible Geopolitical Consequences of the Mumbai Attacks: If the Nov. 26 attacks in Mumbai were carried out by Islamist militants as it appears, the Indian government will have little choice, politically speaking, but to blame them on Pakistan. That will in turn spark a crisis between the two nuclear rivals that will draw the United States into the fray.

Sophisticated attacks, but Qaeda link disputed: Some global terrorism experts with experience in South Asia said that, based on the tactics used in the attacks, the group was probably not linked to Al Qaeda - although that assertion was challenged by other analysts.

Coordinated nature of Mumbai shootings points to shadowy Islamist group: The most obvious suspect will be a group calling itself the Indian Mujahideen, an offshoot of the banned SIMI (the Students Islamic Movement).

Captive's family: Hostages in Mumbai Chabad house are unconscious: "Are you aware how many people have been killed in Kashmir? Are you aware how many of them have been killed in Kashmir this week?" he said.

Site-by-site breakdown of Mumbai attacks: Folowing is a list of places where attacks have been reported in Mumbai.

INDIA

Bombay Attacks: India Points the Finger at Pakistan - Jeremy Page, The Times

India pointed an accusing finger at Pakistan yesterday as commandos fought suspected Islamist terrorists through the corridors of two of Bombay’s top hotels. Dozens of foreigners were still being held hostage or trapped in the buildings.

At least 125 people were killed and 327 wounded in Wednesday’s attacks on some of the city’s most high-profile buildings. Local hospitals and police said that the toll would rise further.

Nine foreigners were among the dead, including one Briton, a Japanese businessman, an Australian, a German and an Italian. Andreas Liveras, a 73-year-old British shipping tycoon, was shot dead moments after telling reporters that he was hiding in the basement of the Taj Mahal Palace.

More at The Times.

Attributes Suggest Outside Help - Craig Whitlock and Karen DeYoung, Washington Post

Counterterrorism officials and experts said the scale, sophistication and targets involved in the Mumbai attacks were markedly different from previous terrorist plots in India and suggested the gunmen had received training from outside the country. But they cautioned it was too soon to tell who may have masterminded the operation, despite an assertion from a previously unknown Islamist radical group.

Officials in India, Europe and the United States said likely culprits included Islamist networks based in Pakistan that have received support in the past from Pakistan's intelligence agencies.

Analysts said this week's attacks surpassed previous plots carried out by domestic groups in terms of complexity, the number of people involved and their success in achieving their primary goal: namely, to spread fear.

More at The Washington Post.

India’s Suspicion of Pakistan Clouds US Strategy in Region - Jane Perlez, New York Times

The terrorist attacks in Mumbai occurred as India and Pakistan, two big, hostile and nuclear-armed nations, were delicately moving toward improved relations with the encouragement of the United States and in particular the incoming Obama administration.

Those steps could quickly be derailed, with deep consequences for the United States, if India finds Pakistani fingerprints on the well-planned operation. India has raised suspicions. Pakistan has vehemently denied them. But no matter who turns out to be responsible for the Mumbai attacks, their scale and the choice of international targets will make the agenda of the new American administration harder.

Reconciliation between India and Pakistan has emerged as a basic tenet in the approaches to foreign policy of President-elect Barack Obama, and the new leader of Central Command, Gen. David H. Petraeus. The point is to persuade Pakistan to focus less of its military effort on India, and more on the militants in its lawless tribal regions who are ripping at the soul of Pakistan.

More at The New York Times and:

Terrorists Paralyze India's Business Capital - Wall Street Journal
Fresh Explosions at Taj Hotel, More Hostages Rescued - Times of India
Sophisticated Attacks, but by Whom? - New York Times
Indian Forces Look for Survivors and Last of Gunmen - Los Angeles Times
Oberoi Under Control, 2 Terrorists Killed - Times of India
Mumbai Hotel 'Under Army Control' - BBC News
Gunmen Kill at Least 125 People - Washington Post
Indian Forces Continue Battling Militants in Mumbai - Voice of America
Heavy Gunfire, Explosions at Mumbai Chabad House - Jerusalem Post
Commandos Storm Nariman House; Fight On - Times of India
Indian Commandos Storm Jewish Center - New York Times
Commandos Storm Jewish Centre in Mumbai - Daily Telegraph
Gunmen Sought in Bombay Hotels, Jewish Center - Washington Times
Commandos Free Some People From Mumbai Luxury Hotels - Voice of America
Indian Navy Boards Supicious Ship in Mumbai - Associated Press
Britons Rumoured to be Among Mumbai Gunmen - Daily Telegraph
Foreigners Targeted in Major Mumbai Attacks - Christian Science Monitor
Second Australian Killed in Mumbai - The Australian
Mumbai Attacks Draw Worldwide Condemnation - Voice of America
'Gunmen Aim to Halt India's Int'l Ties' - Jerusalem Post
Singh Has Enough Worries Without Religious Strife - The Times
Top Anti-terrorist Officer Death a Huge Blow - The Times
Mumbai’s Longest Night, With an Abyss of Terror - New York Times
Westerners Relay Harrowing Accounts of Mumbai Chaos - Los Angeles Times
Pressure Increases for Regional Solution - Wall Street Journal
Islamic Terrorism Helped Bring Israel, India Together - Jerusalem Post
Blood in Mumbai - Washington Post editorial
Murder in Mumbai - Wall Street Journal editorial
A Lesson From Mumbai - New York Post editorial
Attacks a Message Aimed at Obama - The Australian opinion
India Cannot Blame it All on Outsiders - The Times opinion
Mumbai Attack Is a Tipping Point for India - Wall Street Journal opinion
India's Gateway Becomes Terrorism's Door - Los Angeles Times opinion
India's Antiterror Blunders - Wall Street Journal opinion

INDIA

Bloody End to the Siege of Bombay - Jeremy Page, The Times

Commandos were tonight battling the last gunmen holed up in the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Bombay as one of the worst terrorist attacks in India’s history reached its bloody endgame.

The diplomatic fallout was just beginning, however, as India laid the blame for the attacks on Pakistan, its neighbour and rival, and an Indian official said that two of the militants were British Pakistanis. British officials said they were investigating the possibility of such a link but had found no evidence.

India also faced criticism from Israel when five Israeli hostages were found dead inside a Jewish centre after a raid by commandos. An Israeli offer of assistance had been turned down. Almost 36 hours after the attacks began, commandos from the elite Black Cats special forces unit abseiled on to the roof of Nariman House, one of the terrorists’ three main targets, which contains the Jewish centre.

More at The Times.

Last Gunmen Killed in India, Ending Siege - Emily Wax and Rama Lakshmi, Washington Post

Security forces brought a three-day assault on India's financial and cultural capital to an end Saturday morning, killing the last remaining gunmen holed up in one of the city's luxury hotels after freeing hostages and recovering bodies from two hotels and a Jewish center Friday.

Pakistani officials, responding to charges by Indian leaders that the attack was carried out by an organization with ties to Pakistan, said a senior intelligence officer would travel to India, in an apparent attempt to ease tensions between the two nuclear-armed states.

Indian officials said they now believe that at least 15 gunmen carried out the operation after reaching Mumbai by sea. After an interrogation of one of the attackers, Indian intelligence officials said they suspected that a Pakistani Islamist group, Lashkar-i-Taiba, was responsible. An Indian intelligence document from 2006 obtained by The Washington Post said members of the group had been trained in maritime assault.

More at The Washington Post.

Bombay: Forces Accused of Bungling Before and After Attacks - Jeremy Page, The Times

With the battle for Bombay finally drawing to a close last night, India’s Government faced criticism at home and abroad over its failure to prevent the attacks, and its courageous, but haphazard response. Indians are used to their Government’s chaotic approach to security, but the first terrorist attack on their soil to target foreigners on such a large scale has exposed it to international scrutiny for the first time.

India’s media led the charge, panning the country’s intelligence and security agencies for failing to anticipate the attack, as well as a series of multiple bomb attacks on Indian cities this year. “Mumbai Maimed, Nation Shamed” read a headline in the Mail Today newspaper.

More at The Times

US Intelligence Focuses on Pakistani Group -Mark Mazzetti, New York Times

American intelligence and counterterrorism officials said Friday there was mounting evidence that a Pakistani militant group based in Kashmir, most likely Lashkar-e-Taiba, was responsible for the deadly attacks in Mumbai.

The American officials cautioned that they had reached no hard conclusions about who was responsible for the operation, nor on how it had been planned and carried out. Nevertheless, they said that evidence gathered over the past two days has pointed to a role for Lashkar-e-Taiba, or possibly another Pakistani group focused on Kashmir, Jaish-e-Muhammad. The American officials insisted on anonymity in describing their current thinking and declined to discuss the intelligence information that they said pointed to Kashmiri militants.

Lashkar-e-Taiba on Thursday denied any responsibility for the terrorist strikes. The group is thought by American intelligence agencies to have received some training and logistical support in the past from Pakistan’s powerful spy service, the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, or ISI, but American officials said Friday that there was no evidence that the Pakistani government had any role in the Mumbai attacks.

More at The New York Times.

Characteristics of Plot Suggest Outside Help, Analysts Say - Craig Whitlock and Karen DeYoung, Washington Post

Counterterrorism officials and experts said the scale, sophistication and targets involved in the Mumbai attacks were markedly different from previous terrorist plots in India and suggested the gunmen had received training from outside the country. But they cautioned it was too soon to tell who may have masterminded the operation, despite an assertion from a previously unknown Islamist radical group.

Officials in India, Europe and the United States said likely culprits included Islamist networks based in Pakistan that have received support in the past from Pakistan's intelligence agencies. Meanwhile, British officials said they were investigating the possibility that two of its citizens were involved in the attacks.

More at The Washington Post and:

Mumbai Terrorist Siege Over, India Says- New York Times
Indian Forces End Mumbai Siege - Wall Street Journal
Indian Forces Target Final Site of Attacks - New York Times
Siege Ends in Mumbai - Los Angeles Times
Armed Teams Sowed Chaos With Precision - New York Times
India's Foreign Minister Claims Terror Came From Pakistan - The Australian
Pakistani Militants At Center Of Probe - Washington Post
Characteristics of Plot Suggest Outside Help, Analysts Say - Washington Post
US Intelligence Focuses on Pakistani Group - New York Times
Pakistan Offers Help, But is Prime Suspect - The Times
Hollow Victory as More Bodies Discovered - The Times
Pakistan's Gilani to Send Spy Agency Chief to Mumbai - Voice of America
Mumbai Attacks Could Chill India-Pakistan Ties - Los Angeles Times
US Says 2 Americans Killed in Mumbai Attacks - Voice of America
Jewish Hostages Killed as British Terrorists Linked to Bombay Attacks - The Times
Jewish Center Is Stormed, and 6 Hostages Die - New York Times
Are the Terrorists British? - Daily Telegraph
Britain Investigating Possible Ties to Mumbai Suspects - Los Angeles Times
Britons are Among Detained, Official Claims - The Times
From the UK to Terror Training Camps - Daily Telegraph
Pakistan Offers Intelligence Aid - Wall Street Journal
India Blames "Elements" in Pakistan for Attacks - Associated Press
Terrorists Monitored British Websites Using BlackBerrys - Daily Telegraph
British Muslims and Terrorist Attacks - Daily Telegraph
Israel Says Mumbai Attackers Targeted its Citizens - Los Angeles Times
Crisis May Shift India’s Political Landscape - New York Times
Violence Clouds India’s Economic Future - New York Times
Indian Elections to Center on Security - Wall Street Journal
In a Resilient City, Hopes That Cooperation Prevails - Washington Post
Can al-Qaeda be Defeated? - The Times editorial
Massacre in Mumbai - Washington Post editorial
Mumbai Attacks: Pakistan is the Key - Daily Telegraph editorial
Trouble for Pakistan - Washington Post opinion
Tracking British Islamists is an Immense Task - Daily Telegraph opinion
Terrorists Join Forces - The Australian opinion
Wounded City Turns to Anger - The Times opinion
Bombay Massacre is a Warning to Britain - Daily Telegraph opinion
What They Hate About Mumbai - New York Times opinion
An Idea Lost on Fanatics - Los Angeles Times opinion

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/opinion/...tml?ref=opinion

November 29, 2008
Op-Ed Contributor
What They Hate About Mumbai
By SUKETU MEHTA

MY bleeding city. My poor great bleeding heart of a city. Why do they go after Mumbai? There’s something about this island-state that appalls religious extremists, Hindus and Muslims alike. Perhaps because Mumbai stands for lucre, profane dreams and an indiscriminate openness.

Mumbai is all about dhandha, or transaction. From the street food vendor squatting on a sidewalk, fiercely guarding his little business, to the tycoons and their dreams of acquiring Hollywood, this city understands money and has no guilt about the getting and spending of it. I once asked a Muslim man living in a shack without indoor plumbing what kept him in the city. “Mumbai is a golden songbird,” he said. It flies quick and sly, and you’ll have to work hard to catch it, but if you do, a fabulous fortune will open up for you. The executives who congregated in the Taj Mahal hotel were chasing this golden songbird. The terrorists want to kill the songbird.

Just as cinema is a mass dream of the audience, Mumbai is a mass dream of the peoples of South Asia. Bollywood movies are the most popular form of entertainment across the subcontinent. Through them, every Pakistani and Bangladeshi is familiar with the wedding-cake architecture of the Taj and the arc of the Gateway of India, symbols of the city that gives the industry its name. It is no wonder that one of the first things the Taliban did upon entering Kabul was to shut down the Bollywood video rental stores. The Taliban also banned, wouldn’t you know it, the keeping of songbirds.

Bollywood dream-makers are shaken. “I am ashamed to say this,” Amitabh Bachchan, superstar of a hundred action movies, wrote on his blog. “As the events of the terror attack unfolded in front of me, I did something for the first time and one that I had hoped never ever to be in a situation to do. Before retiring for the night, I pulled out my licensed .32 revolver, loaded it and put it under my pillow.”

Mumbai is a “soft target,” the terrorism analysts say. Anybody can walk into the hotels, the hospitals, the train stations, and start spraying with a machine gun. Where are the metal detectors, the random bag checks? In Mumbai, it’s impossible to control the crowd. In other cities, if there’s an explosion, people run away from it. In Mumbai, people run toward it — to help. Greater Mumbai takes in a million new residents a year. This is the problem, say the nativists. The city is just too hospitable. You let them in, and they break your heart.

In the Bombay I grew up in, your religion was a personal eccentricity, like a hairstyle. In my school, you were denominated by which cricketer or Bollywood star you worshiped, not which prophet. In today’s Mumbai, things have changed. Hindu and Muslim demagogues want the mobs to come out again in the streets, and slaughter one another in the name of God. They want India and Pakistan to go to war. They want Indian Muslims to be expelled. They want India to get out of Kashmir. They want mosques torn down. They want temples bombed.

And now it looks as if the latest terrorists were our neighbors, young men dressed not in Afghan tunics but in blue jeans and designer T-shirts. Being South Asian, they would have grown up watching the painted lady that is Mumbai in the movies: a city of flashy cars and flashier women. A pleasure-loving city, a sensual city. Everything that preachers of every religion thunder against. It is, as a monk of the pacifist Jain religion explained to me, “paap-ni-bhoomi”: the sinful land.

In 1993, Hindu mobs burned people alive in the streets — for the crime of being Muslim in Mumbai. Now these young Muslim men murdered people in front of their families — for the crime of visiting Mumbai. They attacked the luxury businessmen’s hotels. They attacked the open-air Cafe Leopold, where backpackers of the world refresh themselves with cheap beer out of three-foot-high towers before heading out into India. Their drunken revelry, their shameless flirting, must have offended the righteous believers in the jihad. They attacked the train station everyone calls V.T., the terminus for runaways and dreamers from all across India. And in the attack on the Chabad house, for the first time ever, it became dangerous to be Jewish in India.

The terrorists’ message was clear: Stay away from Mumbai or you will get killed. Cricket matches with visiting English and Australian teams have been shelved. Japanese and Western companies have closed their Mumbai offices and prohibited their employees from visiting the city. Tour groups are canceling long-planned trips.

But the best answer to the terrorists is to dream bigger, make even more money, and visit Mumbai more than ever. Dream of making a good home for all Mumbaikars, not just the denizens of $500-a-night hotel rooms. Dream not just of Bollywood stars like Aishwarya Rai or Shah Rukh Khan, but of clean running water, humane mass transit, better toilets, a responsive government. Make a killing not in God’s name but in the stock market, and then turn up the forbidden music and dance; work hard and party harder.

If the rest of the world wants to help, it should run toward the explosion. It should fly to Mumbai, and spend money. Where else are you going to be safe? New York? London? Madrid?

So I’m booking flights to Mumbai. I’m going to go get a beer at the Leopold, stroll over to the Taj for samosas at the Sea Lounge, and watch a Bollywood movie at the Metro. Stimulus doesn’t have to be just economic.

Suketu Mehta, a professor of journalism at New York University, is the author of “Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found.”

Mumbai Terror Attacks: "Agencies Yet to Learn Hard Lessons'

By Animesh Roul


Originaly Published as [i]'Agencies yet to learn hard lessons' in Sunday MiD Day, Mumbai, 30-11-2008[/i]

FOR almost over sixty hours, Mumbai, the financial capital of India, witnessed a series of terrorist attacks, multiple hostage crisis, mindless killings, fierce gun battles and at the end, a disrupted life. The terrorists have struck major targets including luxury hotels and a Jewish Center frequented by Westerners and elite Indian only to be holed up later inside these buildings with innocent civilians as hostage. Their demand was the safe release of Mujahideen held in Indian prisons. Prior to this, they also have targeted at least seven more places and went on a killing spree on that fateful Wednesday evening.

An unknown outfit, Deccan Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attacks. However, for quite some time now, this name-game has been a part of Pakistan based terror groups' desperate attempt to give a homegrown Indian flavor to this ongoing Jihadi-terrorism in the region. Of course a collusive local hand is quite possible in this sort of terror operations, primarily for logistical support. Looking at the whole incident, it is beyond doubt that these highly trained terrorists have undergone specialised terror training at various camps located somewhere in Pakistan administered Kashmir or Karachi.

As evidences are forthcoming following the arrests of some Pakistani nationals including one Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab who was apprehended from the besieged Taj Mahal hotel, the needle of suspicion pointed strongly at the Pakistan-based and Kashmir-centric Islamist group, Lashkar-e-Toiba (Army of the Pure). Even though this LeT denied any hand in this carnage, its footprints are quite evident.

It doesn't take any great wisdom to believe that Pakistan based and Kashmir centric terror tanzeems are behind most of the terrorist acts perpetrated on Indian soil. Among them, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad and Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami have been leading from the front in the so called Islamic Jihad against India. With strong Saudi Wahabi link and proximity to the notorious ISI, LeT's activities are not always clandestine in Pakistan. It operates openly with its so called political wing Jamat- ud- Dawa, nurturing dreams for a 'God's government' on the lines of Sharia laws in Pakistan and elsewhere. It preaches Armed Jihad as shortest route to reach god and heaven. LeT is the one which has introduced such type of Fidayeen missions in Jammu and Kashmir and intermittently striking India's heartlands with its tactics of indiscriminate shooting and grenade attacks.

Mumbai is always vulnerable to terrorism and gang violence for its business potential and porous sea coasts. We have experienced number of terrorist attacks in the past including 1993 serial blasts and 2006 serial train blasts. The latest events stand out as the most severe terrorist act. Meanwhile, the death toll in latest Mumbai mayhem has reached 195 including 22 foreign nationals and 15 security forces at the end of the prolonged and biggest terror fight the country has ever seen. While nearly 300 of them sustained physical injuries, millions of them get scarred for life.

There is obviously a growing concern that terrorists have uniquely used all possible types of terror tactics in Mumbai, ranging from hostage taking, driving explosive laden cars, using sea routes, indiscriminately shooting at civilians and using grenades to maximise the damage.

The Mumbai attacks didn't involve suicide bombers, but motivated Fidayeens (death squads), as propagated by Lashkar-e-Toiba which supports the later terror tactics as Islamic. According to JuD/Lashkar-e-Toiba's spokesperson, Abdullah Muntazir, who denied any involvement in Mumbai attacks, said on earlier occasions that a Fidayeen must complete their mission even in the worst circumstances. Quite plausibly Muntazir's definition, who is desperately trying to salvage JuD's public image, matches the recent operations in Mumbai.

Arguably, there has been a massive intelligence failure as Indian security agencies were caught napping again when metropolises like Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi, country's political and financial centres have always been an obvious target for terrorists who want to cripple the country from all possible fronts. Just after the 9/11 event in the US, Indian intelligence agencies received reports about an ongoing marine training of LeT operatives to infiltrate India's porous sea borders. Again couple of years ago, Indian Coast Guards apprehended Lashkar's seaborne terrorists, off the Mumbai coast. But Indian agencies have never learned the hard lessons. The irony is both Intelligence and security agencies only claim to have uncovered plots and neutralised terror sleeper cells, but never reached to the roots perhaps due to lack of political willingness or technological backwardness.

Always under severe criticism for a weak-kneed response to situations like Mumbai and inept handling of investigations, for the first time, India did not negotiate with terrorists and went on hot pursuit.

At this hour of national crisis, many fear that it could escalate into an Indo-Pakistani crisis as blame game has already begun at the highest level. However, the Islamabad administration has quickly stepped up damage control exercise by promising support in the investigations.

And now the battle is over, the investigating agencies would piece things together to get a clear picture of what had happened and how to fight this menace again in future. One thing is for sure that to outsmart terror groups, like LeT, it has to resort to proper investigations backed by human and technical intelligence rather than only rhetoric, false claims and complacency.


Read More »


Animesh Roul is Executive Director, Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict, New Delhi

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November 30, 2008 06:42 AM Link TrackBack (0) Print
Mumbai Whodunnit: Names vs. Networks

By Aaron Mannes



Following the tenets of Journalism 101, the first question about the Mumbai attacks was “who?” Most of the speculation has focused on Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), although their spokesperson and the spokesperson of their political wing (reported by CTBlog’s Evan Kohlmann) have both denied their organization’s involvement. The reality is that the structures supporting this attack go beyond specific organizations.

In a prescient article, “The Supporting Structures of Pakistan’s Proxy War in Jammu & Kashmir,” in the June 2001 issue of Strategic Analysis (a journal of India’s Institute for Defence Studies & Analysis - the article is not a available online) the author, Ajay Darshan Behra argues:

The supporting structures for the proxy war in J&K are much more complex and go beyond Pakistan's unstated policies or strategic objectives. Some of these structures have developed their own dynamics… Since the end of the Cold War, these structures have embedded themselves deeply in the political economy of the region. The Pakistani state does not control them but merely exercises influence over them and is able to exploit them to serve its own strategic designs. It is due to the advantages accruing from these structures that Pakistan has been able to engage India militarily for more than a decade through a proxy war, with little cost to itself. Thus, there may be a grain of truth in Gen Musharraf's statement that the Pakistan Army is unable to stop militants from crossing the LOC. The Pakistani ruling elites are not in complete control of the supporting structures for terrorism, which they have been using for their proxy war in J&K. Because of the above factors, jehad and terrorism in J&K are likely to continue even if the Pakistani ruling elites give assurances about the withdrawal of their support.

The primary factors identified are: the extensive illicit arms trade within Pakistan which ensures that there is an endless supply of weapons, the uncontrollable sources of funding - particularly narcotics trafficking and donations both from within Pakistan and from around the world, and the tens of thousands of radical madrassas that indoctrinate Pakistani youth into radical Islam from Pakistan’s bottomless well of unemployed. The author does not discuss some other related factors, such as the complex geography (particularly the mountainous terrain), which makes controlling substantial parts of the country and particularly the Line of Control (LOC) in Kashmir a daunting problem. Read the complete post.

November 30, 2008 12:59 AM Link TrackBack (0) Print
November 29, 2008

Dawood Ibrahim's Name Again Surfaces With Latest Mumbai Terrorist Attack

By Victor Comras


It’s much too early to identify the group or groups involved in the Mumbai terrorist attack or to place blame for what has occurred. Identification will come with the expert police investigation and intelligence gathering now underway. But, at this stage we are all just involved in a process of speculation - drawing on past experience with terrorist modis operandi to explain what occurred and exploring the various various possibilities and theories. Among the possible culprits being considered are several Pakistan based Islamic extremist organizations such as Lashkar-e-Tayyiba; Al Qaeda-linked or wannabe groups, and India home grown terrorist groups. One thing appears clear - the attack was well planned and organized, and that requires reliance on a sophisticated network for recruitment, logistics, training and financing. Some Indian terrorist experts suggest that Dawood Ibrahim may well be linked to organizing and financing this attack just as he did for the 1993 Mumbai stock exchange terrorist bombings.

Dawood Ibrahim (birthname Sheikh Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar), for years headed the D-Company which ran a substantial hawala operation out of Mumbai, Karachi and Dubai. He reportedly moved easily between various Islamic extremist groups and Indian crime syndicates, and is believed to have acted as an Al Qaeda surrogate for several financial transactions and arms and drug smuggling deals. He was designated by the US Treasury Department as a global terrorist in October 2003, and listed as an Al Qaeda associate by the UN Al Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee on November 3, 2003. According to the Treasury Department “Dawood Ibrahim, an Indian crime lord, has found common cause with Al Qaida, sharing his smuggling routes with the terror syndicate and funding attacks by Islamic extremists aimed at destabilizing the Indian government. He is wanted in India for the 1993 Bombay Exchange bombings and is known to have financed the activities of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (Army of the Righteous), a group designated by the United States in October 2001 and banned by the Pakistani Government…” See also Treasury Fact Sheet on Dawood Ibrahim here.

Ibrahim's current whereabouts is unknown. He is believed by some to have been given safehaven in Pakistan, perhaps in the Frontier Territories, although there have been some reports of his having been arrested by Pakistan authorities several years ago. Pakistan denies these reports and maintains that he has not been given any safehaven anywhere in Pakistan.

You can find more information about Dawood Ibrahim in articles posted last year by my colleagues Aaron Mannes and Doug Farah.

November 29, 2008 08:12 PM Link TrackBack (0) Print
November 28, 2008

Jamat-ud-Dawa (LET Political Wing) on Mumbai Attacks: "Not a Legitimate Tactic"

By Evan Kohlmann


In the aftermath of this week's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, Indian government officials and media outlets have already begun pointing a finger at Islamic militants in neighboring Pakistan -- particularly an organization known as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET). The LET has been designated by the U.S. government as a proscribed foreign terrorist organization -- along with its accused political wing, Jamat-ud-Dawa (JUD).

Earlier this evening, I spoke via telephone with the official representative of JUD, Abdullah Muntazir, to discuss the situation in Mumbai and mounting allegations of involvement by LET and/or Pakistani Islamists. Muntazir strongly denied these charges, referring to the attacks as an "internal problem" for India. He repeatedly insisted to me, "we have nothing to do with it", and blamed Indian "propaganda" for "divert[ing] the attention of the public media" --- which he described as "their usual practice." Interestingly, during our conversation, Muntazir went even further and actually condemned the events that have taken place in Mumbai as needless "carnage": "Islam does not permit killing civilian people." He added, "I don't think that this is a legitimate tactic."

November 28, 2008 12:01 AM Link TrackBack (0) Print
November 27, 2008

Mayhem in Mumbai: India Reels Under Another Terror Attack

By Frank Hyland & Animesh Roul


This column is another in the ongoing series on the terrorist threat to India and the surrounding region by Frank Hyland and Animesh Roul.

Almost a day after Mumbai was struck by multiple terrorist attacks, a warlike situation still prevails on the ground, as security forces continue evacuating hostages. The Ministry of Home Affairs has confirmed 125 deaths and 327 injuries in the country's biggest and now the longest-ever terror seige. At least 14 police personnel are known have been killed in the attacks, including, reportedly, two of the nation’s highest ranking anti-terror policemen. The dead also included six foreigners. Five suspected terrorists have been captured thus far; five others were killed, while three reportedly have escaped. The terrorists, who came probably from Pakistan via the sea route, dodging the coast guard, and struck targets such as the Leopold Cafe, Hotel Oberoi and Taj International, Colaba Wadi, the BMC office, Cama Hospital, GT Hospital, Nariman House, Vidhan Bhavan. Hundreds of people were held hostage in the Taj hotel, the Trident hotel and Nariman house. Hundreds of those hostages were evacuated from the Hotels and from the Nariman house, a Jewish Center run by Chabad Lubavitch group. At the Trident Oberoi, security forces had evacuated 60 hostages and some 400 stranded guests as of Thursday evening. Terrorists holed up inside the Taj hotel with hostages demanded earlier in the day the release of all terrorists (Mujahedeen) held in Indian prisons. One of those was identified as a member of Deccan Mujahedeen group, which was born out of a desperate attempt to give more of a homegrown Indian flavor to this ongoing Jihadi-type terrorism.

Deadly Cargo:

Sometime ago, proposals from Pakistan were put forth to make Mumbai and Karachi sister cities for their shared common features and geographical proximity. There was also a plan for regular ferry service between the two cities. The idea, perhaps born out of good intentions, turned out to be the route used by Pakistan-based terrorists who used the sea routes to reach the Mumbai coast on November 26th, then wreaking havoc.

As pointed out earlier, the latest Mumbai terror events have been perpetrated by the Lashkar e Toiba-affiliated (LeT) Kashmir-centric Islamist group. Some accounts point the finger at Al-Qa’ida as instigators and supporter. Even though the Pakistan-based militant group denied any hand in the Mumbai Mayhem, its footprints are quite evident. One Abdullah Gaznavai, LeT chief spokesman denied any involvement or association with these attacks. At least 10 of the terrorists affiliated with the Lashkar-e-Toiba and reached south Mumbai had arrived in inflatable speed boats, landing near Sasson Dock, very near to the Taj Continental Hotel. Two Pakistani ships -- MV Al Kabir and MV Alpaha -- are suspected to have transported terrorists, playing the role of 'Mother Ship', and have been detained after a joint operation by the Border Security Force and Navy Coast guards.

Intelligence Failure, Again!

The Mumbai attacks were a well-planned and coordinated series of terrorist attacks, as AK47-wielding terrorists with grenades in their backpacks targeted a number of high-profile locations frequented by Westerners and wealthy Indians. It appears to have been a massive intelligence failure as Indian security agencies were caught napping, this despite reports that Indian Authorities had been aware for some time of rumors of an impending attack, including even mention of the Taj Mahal Hotel. Interrogation of at least one perpetrator reportedly confirmed to Indian Authorities suspicions of the Pakistan-related origin of the plot. Despite the repeated failure of the Intelligence the administration’s public response thus far appears to be curiously complacent. The Country's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Intelligence officials pointed fingers very cautiously at an 'outside force', an obvious reference to Pakistan-centric terrorist groups. Manmohan Singh promised tough measures to take on the terrorists, including that of setting up a federal investigating agency.

Click on image below for map of attacks



November 27, 2008 10:58 PM Link TrackBack (0) Print
Twitter comes of age reporting on Mumbai attacks

By Roderick Jones


The micro-blogging service Twitter has been providing updates to the attacks in Mumbai.

Link to Twitter feed.

Some of the commentary and links are off-base but it is a fascinating view into how the 'crowd' can monitor and report on real-time events. For example, there is a link posted to a 'google doc' spreadsheet listing known casualties. Link here.

Terrorist attacks may remain disturbingly similar but the way they are reported and examined changes in step with the rapid pace of virtualization.


November 27, 2008 12:39 PM Link TrackBack (0) Print
November 26, 2008

Mumbai Terror attacks: Urban Jihad comes to India

By Walid Phares


As we write this short early assessment of the Terror attacks in Mumbai, events are still unforlding in the financial capital of the sub Indian region. Counter Terrorism units are battling armed elements inside several buildings including the Taj Hotel where hostages have been seized, including foreigners. My first round of monitoring included a discussion with our colleague Animesh Roul who has also posted a report on CTB. I must credit a number of facts and assumptions to him including the projection that the perpetrators -although calling themselves Deccan Mujahideen- are in fact members or trained by Lashkar e Toiba/SIMI (who according to Animesh Roul now call themselves Indian Mujahideen). Here is the condensed report I discussed on Fox News, the BBC, Russia Today TV and other international outlets.

Read More »


Type of Operation

According to sources in Mumbai, armed groups and individuals have attacked at least ten (if not more) targets inside the city including the Taj Hotel, Oberoi Hotel, a railway Station, the Leopold Café and other locations. More shooting incidents have been also reported at the Trident hotel, a hospital and a highway leading to the airport and Assembly Hall. The terrorists fired indiscriminately against civilians, security elements, lobbed grenades, and killed Counter Terrorism officials. At this writing sources are reporting more than 102 deaths, amd hundreds wounded, in addition to hostage taking. Indian security sources confirmed the use of AK-47s, small arms, grenade, etc. This type of operation, involving a number of small groups and individuals "deployed" across several avenues, In my book Future Jihad I coined these types of forthcoming strikes as "urban Jihad" (Chapter 13). Instead of bombers and suicide bombers, the command sends "Jihadi infantry." The tactical goal of these actions is to engage in different types of missions: random kilings, chaos, killing of security officers and hostage taking.

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. We will probably know more when the dust will settle.

Perpetrators

In view of the historical context, 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 Mujahideen). 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 more than one release to claim the attack and put it in context.

According to Indian sources this is an operation of a very new type in India. The "emirs" have sent these armed elements in their 20s to strike at Indian psyche. One goal is to sink the Pakistani-Indian rapprochement. In Islamabad, the new Government is engaged in operations against the big Jihadi boys ojn the north western frontier. It is quite possible that the Mumbai attacks aim at triggering tensions between the two old foes so that pressure would be released against the radicals in Pakistan. In any event, this is a large Jihadi operation against one of the emerging economies and the largest democraciy n 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.”

************

Dr Walid Phares is the Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

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November 26, 2008 11:18 PM Link TrackBack (0) Print
India's Financial Hub Mumbai under Multiple Terror Attacks!

By Animesh Roul


Co-Editor's Note: See the "Newslinks" box for links to updated news on the attacks.
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Suspected Islamic terrorists have attacked at least eight places in Mumbai, the financial hub of India on November 26 evening. They fired indiscriminately, and lobbed grenades around while making their way to Hotels and Railway Stations and Airport. At least 60 people, many foreigners have reportedly died and nearly 150 injured in these terror attacks. Times of India report quoting hospital sources, indicated that at least 80 people were dead and 250 injured in the terror attacks. There are unconfirmed reports of a Hostage situation also in Taj Mahal and Oberoi Hotels (with most foreign guests). The first incident of firing was reported at Leopold Cafe, a well-known watering hole for tourists and foreigners in Colaba. The second incident was near Taj Mahal hotel, the third was near Oberoi hotel in Nariman Point and the fourth one was at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station. Also a major blast was also reported in Vile Parle in suburban Mumbai. As per the latest reports around 15 people, half of them foreigners are taken hostage on the roof of the Taj Mahal Hotel.

The needle of the suspicion is on the Lashkar- e- Toiba and Student Islamic Movement of India combine (Now they credibly calling and proving them as Indian Mujahedeen terror group).

The incidents took place one day after the reported arrest of Lashkar -e-Toiba linked Raheel Sheikh by the Interpol in London. Raheel is one of the alleged masterminds of the conspiracy and was involved in the funding of the July 11, 2006, Mumbai serial train blasts that killed nearly 200 commuters and wounded over 500 people on that fateful day.



Read More »


Media Reports on the Terror Strikes:

Multiple attacks in Mumbai, 80 dead, hostages taken

Mumbai terror attack: top floor of Hotel Taj on fire

ATS chief, over 50 others killed in Mumbai terror strikes

Mumbai under attack: 60 dead, 200 injured



« Close It

November 26, 2008 02:26 PM Link

Mumbai Attacks: 300 Feared Dead as Full Horror of the Terrorist Attacks Emerges - Damien McElroy, Rahul Bedi and Andrew Alderson, Daily Telegraph

Piles of bodies were found yesterday after commandos stormed the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, the last of three buildings that terrorists had occupied in the city. Three terrorists were killed in the battle.

The end to four days of carnage came as tensions grew between India and Pakistan over the atrocity. It is believed that just 10 highly-trained terrorists took part in the attack. Nine were killed and one suspect is under arrest. British and Indian authorities were yesterday playing down reports that some of the attackers were British, although this had not been comprehensively ruled out.

The Sunday Telegraph was given the details of a secret interrogation report based on an interview with the surviving terrorist. The 19-year-old suspect, who lived near the Pakistani city of Multan, is said to have joined Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the Islamist fundamentalist group, a year ago. He is alleged to have confessed that he received weapons instruction at a training camp in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The plot is said to have been planned from there. A group then made a reconnaissance of Bombay earlier this year. India believes a Pakistani merchant ship was used to transport some, or all, of the terrorists before they seized control of a fishing trawler to reach Mumbai (Bombay). The final leg of their journey was completed in inflatable boats.

More at The Daily Telegraph.

Indians Claim Terrorists Took Orders From Pakistan - Dean Nelson, The Times

Indian authorities yesterday claimed to have proof that the Mumbai terrorists were receiving instructions from Pakistan and discussing tactics with their handlers during the three days of attacks in which they killed at least 195 people.

The claims threaten further to embitter relations between the two nuclear powers. Tensions have been high since confirmation that the only captured gunman was a 21-year-old Pakistani. It has also emerged that India had been warned that terrorists were planning an attack in Mumbai.

Up to 22 foreigners were among those killed in raids by 10-15 terrorists on sites across the city, including hotels, the main railway station, a Jewish community centre and two hospitals. The last of the gunmen was killed by Indian commandos yesterday morning, ending the siege at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel. One hotel worker was found alive and 22 bodies were removed. As many as 80 bodies may still be in the building.

More at The Times.

Pakistanis Deny Any Role in the Attacks on Mumbai - Jane Perlez and Salman Masood, New York Times

Apprehensive about potential reprisals by India over the Mumbai terrorist attacks, the Pakistani government insisted Saturday that it had not been involved. It pledged to take action against Pakistan-based militants if they were found to be implicated.

“Our hands are clean,” the Pakistani foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, said at a news conference. “Any entity or group involved in the ghastly act, the Pakistan government will proceed against it.”

The government called a crisis cabinet meeting on Saturday, a day after Indian officials suggested that a militant group with Pakistani ties, Lashkar-e-Taiba, was responsible for the attacks. Similar accusations after an attack on the Indian Parliament by another group, Jaish-e-Muhammad, brought the two governments to the brink of war in 2002.

More at The New York Times.

Ruthless Attackers, Desperate Victims - Emily Wax, Washington Post

After a wave of coordinated terrorist attacks turned parts of Mumbai's financial district into a combat zone, the full extent of the 60 hours of violence came to light Saturday in the stories of victims who filled the city's hospitals. The assailants killed at least 195 people and wounded about 300. Among the dead were 22 foreigners, including six Americans.

More at The Washington Post and:

Mumbai Siege Over, Indian Forces Kill Last Militants - Voice of America
Terrorists Planned a 9/11 in India - Washington Times
India Faces Reckoning as Terror Toll Eclipses 170 - New York Times
Siege Ends, Death Toll Rises - Globe and Mail
Mumbai Siege Survivors Detail Harrowing Ordeals - Washington Post
Mumbai: City of Death - The Times
Mumbai Residents Fear Attacks' Aftereffects - Los Angeles Times
Three Days Of Terror In Mumbai - San Francisco Chronicle
Mumbai Assess Impact of Siege - Voice of America
Indian PM Calls High-Level Meetings - Voice of America
India, Pakistan Lock Horns - Toronto Star
Pakistan Withdraws Pledge to Send Spy Chief to India - Voice of America
Pakistan Pledges to Look into any Militant Role in Attacks - Los Angeles Times
Defiant Pakistan Disputes India's Allegations - Washington Post
Attacks Stoke India-Pakistan Tensions - Washington Times
Pakistan May Move Troops on Afghan Border to Indian Border - Kyodo
US Says 2 Americans Killed in Mumbai Attacks, But Toll Could be Higher - VOA
Hour by Hour: Three Days of Terror in Mumbai - Toronto Star
Innovative, Ruthless, Disciplined Terrorism Stalks Us Again - The Times
Mumbai Attacks: Al-Qaeda Methods and Ideology - ABS-CBN News
The Audacious Attack Which Took a Year to Plan - Daily Telegraph
Aftermath of the Mumbai Attacks - New York Times
Mumbai: Authorities Face Questions Over Siege - Time
Day After, Mumbai Limping to Normalcy - Times of India
Attack Illuminates Weakness in India's Government - Newsweek
Bin Laden-inspired Group Wants Asian Caliphate - The Times
Terror Blasts Hole in Peace with Pakistan - The Times
Indian Allegations Alarm Pakistan - BBC News
Mumbai Fallout Tests Pakistan's Govt-military Ties - Dawn
Attacks Imperil Delicate US Role Between Rivals - New York Times
Bush Offers Condolences, Full Support to India - Voice of America
US Aiding India's Investigation - Associated Press
Citizen Journalists Provide Glimpses Into Attacks - New York Times
It's Time to Stand by Bloodied India - The Times editorial
Dateline: Mumbai - Baltimore Sun editorial
The Scourge of Terror - Jerusalem Post editorial
Delhi’s Blunders in Fighting Terrorism - The Times opinion
Terrorists Join Forces -The Australian opinion
Let Bombay Remind Us: They Haven't Gone - Daily Telegraph opinion
Fallout From Mumbai - Washington Post opinion
A Cloud Over India's Muslims - Los Angeles Times opinion
New India in the Crosshairs - National Review opinion
From New Delhi - National Review opinion
An Idea Lost on Fanatics - Los Angeles Times opinion
It’s Not the Cold War - National Review opinion
Mumbai Could Happen Just About Anywhere - OC Register opinion
Terror Changes Course, With the Same Deadly Results - The Australian opinion
India Is Pointing in the Right Direction - Der Spiegel opinion

INDIA

India's Government Reels in Wake of Terror Attacks - Rama Lakshmi, Washington Post

Four days after gunmen brutally struck in India's financial capital, killing at least 174 people, officials in New Delhi began grappling with both the political and diplomatic fallout of India's deadliest terror attack in 15 years.

Faced with a mounting chorus of public criticism about intelligence failures and delays in the security response, India's highest-ranking internal security official, Shivraj Patil, resigned Sunday after taking "moral" responsibility for the Mumbai tragedy.

The resignation was a powerful indication that the government is trying to calm a restive public, especially in the lead-up to elections. "Our Politicians Fiddle as Innocents Die," read a headline Sunday in the Times of India newspaper.

More at The Washington Post.

Pakistan Makes Troops Threat Over India Standoff - Jeremy Page and Rhys Blakely, The Times

Relations between India and Pakistan were on a knife edge today as Indian authorities combed through the wreckage of last week's attacks on Bombay and interrogated the one Pakistani militant captured.

A senior Pakistani security official has warned that Pakistan would pull back troops fighting Islamist militants on the Afghan frontier if India builds up its forces on Pakistan's border, as it did after an attack by Pakistani militants on India's parliament in 2001.

He said the next 48 hours would be crucial for the two nuclear-armed neighbours, which have fought three wars since winning independence from Britain in 1947, and almost went to a fourth after the Indian parliament attacks.

More at The Times.

Religious Head Incited Killers - Bruce Loudon, The Australian

The al-Qa'ida-linked Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists suspected over the Mumbai massacre were trained in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, and were incited by speeches from their leader in Lahore.

As the sole surviving terrorist was interrogated in Mumbai, security sources told The Australian that 10 terrorists were picked by LET for the suicide mission. They were ordered to "kill until your last breath" and murder up to 5000 people. They did so after provocative speeches by Hafiz Mohammed Saeed last month in Lahore, capital of the Punjab. Saeed, described as LET's supreme religious and political head, declared in one speech: "The only language India understands is that of force, and that is the language it must be talked to in."

The email claiming responsibility for the Mumbai attack minutes after it started last Wednesday was generated on a computer based in Pakistan. And a satellite telephone captured from the terrorists revealed calls made to numbers in Pakistan during the attacks, reports said.

More at The Australian and:

Gunmen Methodically Spread Terror in City - Washington Post
Systemic Failure Seen in India's Response to Attacks - Los Angeles Times
Pakistan Warns India of Troop Redeployment - Washington Times
India Raises Security Footing to 'War Level' - Daily Telegraph
As Dust Settles, Tensions in India Deepen - Globe and Mail
At War Level: India Raises Security Status Amid Grief - Guardian
Pakistan Militants Linked to Siege - Toronto Star
Deccan Mujahideen Email Threatens Delhi - Times of India
A Quick Backgrounder on Lashkar-e-Taiba - Weekly Standard
Group Accused in Mumbai Attacks Flourishing Despite Ban - Washington Post
Top Indian Security Official Resigns as Toll Eclipses 180 - New York Times
Mumbai Attacks Pose Test for India - Christian Science Monitor
India's Home Minister Resigns Following Mumbai Attacks - Voice of America
Minister Quits as Tension with Pakistan Increases - Daily Telegraph
Official Quits Amid Public Anger at India's Leadership - Washington Post
US, India Face Pak Blackmail on Terror - Times of India
India Considers Anti-terror Body - BBC News
Pakistan Warns West: We Cannot Fight al-Qaida if Crisis Escalates - Guardian
Mumbai Police Bought Luxury Cars Not New Weapons - Times of India
Mumbai Eager to Bounce Back After Deadly Terror Attack - Voice of America
Steadfast, Mumbai Begins Picking Up the Pieces - Christian Science Monitor
Stench of Death is Overwhelming - The Australian
After Mumbai, Debating Security at Luxury Hotels - New York Times
Bush Offers Support For Mumbai Investigation - Voice of America
Mumbai Attacks ‘Were Ploy to Wreck US Plan’ - The Times
It's Time to Stand by Bloodied India - The Times editorial
Dateline: Mumbai - Baltimore Sun editorial
The Scourge of Terror - Jerusalem Post editorial
Best Ways to React to India's '9/11' - Christian Science Monitor editorial
Nuclear Threat Hangs Over Subcontinent - Daily Telegraph editorial
The Horror in Mumbai - New York Times editorial
Go To The Source - Times of India editorial
Make The Case - Times of India editorial
The New India Will Prevail - Globe and Mail editorial
Delhi’s Blunders in Fighting Terrorism - The Times opinion
Terrorists Join Forces -The Australian opinion
Let Bombay Remind Us: They Haven't Gone - Daily Telegraph opinion
Fallout From Mumbai - Washington Post opinion
A Cloud Over India's Muslims - Los Angeles Times opinion
New India in the Crosshairs - National Review opinion
From New Delhi - National Review opinion
An Idea Lost on Fanatics - Los Angeles Times opinion
It’s Not the Cold War - National Review opinion
Mumbai Could Happen Just About Anywhere - OC Register opinion
Terror Changes Course, With the Same Deadly Results - The Australian opinion
India Is Pointing in the Right Direction - Der Spiegel opinion
Was the Real Target Indo-Pak Peace? - New York Post opinion
We Must Not Lose Sight of the Real Enemy - The Times opinion
Deepak Blames America - Wall Street Journal opinion
Devils in Mumbai - New York Post opinion
Muslims: India's New 'Untouchables' - Los Angeles Times opinion

MUMBAI ATTACKS

US and India See Link to Militants in Pakistan - Eric Schmitt, Somini Sengupta and Jane Perlez, New York Times

American and Indian authorities said Tuesday that there was now little doubt that militants inside Pakistan had directed the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Indian officials said they had identified three or four masterminds of the deadly assault, stepping up pressure on Pakistan to act against the perpetrators of one of the worst terrorist attacks in India’s history.

The emerging consensus came as the Bush administration increased its diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions between India and Pakistan over the attacks, dispatching the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, to the region. He is to join Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday morning.

More at The New York Times.

Military Chiefs Urge Raid Inside Pakistan - Bruce Loudon, The Australian

Pakistan was bracing last night for a retaliatory airstrike by India against the sprawling headquarters of the al-Qa'ida-linked Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist organisation near Lahore. As Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari warned the LET militants "had the power to precipitate war in the region", India demanded that Islamabad hand over a list of about 20 people, including India's most-wanted man Dawood Ibrahim.

India's military chiefs were exerting strong pressure on the country's political leaders to give permission to attack the headquarters, an 80ha site at Muridke, close to the Punjab capital of Lahore, just across the border from India. The reports came as the Indian Government summoned the Pakistani high commissioner in New Delhi yesterday to demand "strong action" against the Pakistani militants who it says were responsible for last week's attacks on Mumbai.

More at The Australian.

US Renews Call for Pakistani Cooperation in Mumbai Attack Investigation - David Gollust, Voice of America

The United States Tuesday renewed its call on Pakistan to fully cooperate with the Indian-led investigation of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. US officials say they suspect a group based at least partly in Pakistan may be behind the operation.

The State Department is reiterating its call for full Pakistani cooperation with the investigation amid new indications that U.S. officials believe the Mumbai attacks may have originated in Pakistan.

A senior US official traveling with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Brussels told reporters there are a lot of reasons to believe the group behind the multi-pronged terrorist strike may be partially or entirely based on Pakistani territory.

More at Voice of America and:

US Hopes to Quiet Indian-Pakistani Tensions - Washington Post
Rice in Delhi Amid Pakistan-India Crisis - The Times
Condoleezza Rice Arrives for Talks in India - Daily Telegraph
India Must Not Repeat US Mistakes - Washington Times
India Names Mumbai Mastermind - Wall Street Journal
India Tells Pakistan: Hand Over Suspects - Associated Press
Pakistan Offers to Join With India In Investigation - Washington Post
Mumbai Gunmen Traveled From Pakistan - Associated Press
US Blames Lashkar-e-Toiba for Mumbai - Agence France-Presse
Gunmen Used Technology as A Tactical Tool - Washington Post
Details Emerge From Sole Arrested Gunman - Washington Post
How Mumbai Attack on Jews Unfolded - Los Angeles Times
New Template for Terror? - Christian Science Monitor
New CCTV Video Shows Start of Mumbai Massacre - The Australian
Motivation for Mumbai Attacks Murky - Voice of America
New Video Shows Start of Mumbai Attack - The Australian
What India Needs - Washington Times editorial
Let's Give Pakistan the Attention It Deserves - Wall Street Journal opinion
Could It Happen Here? - Washington Post opinion
Calling All Pakistanis - New York Times opinion
India’s 9/11? Not Exactly - New York Times opinion
Mumbai Explained - Washington Times opinion

MUMBAI ATTACKS

US Plea: Fight Islamists, Not India - Nicholas Kralev, Washington Times

US officials said Wednesday that they are pressing Pakistan to change the primary mission of its intelligence services from preparing for war with India to actively helping the fight against Islamic extremists, some of whom have been linked to last week's attacks in Mumbai.

That is the message Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Michael G. Mullen are delivering to President Asif Ali Zardari in Islamabad this week, the officials said. Adm. Mullen was in Pakistan on Wednesday and Miss Rice was expected there Thursday.

Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and parts of its military have been accused of being too close to militant groups that have staged numerous attacks in both Pakistan and neighboring India.

More at The Washington Times.

India Warns of Airborne Attack After Mumbai Assaults - Somini Sengupta and Robert Worth, New York Times

As the Bush administration pursued diplomatic efforts to contain tensions between India and Pakistan after the Mumbai attacks, the Indian Air Force chief said Thursday that airports across the country were braced for a possible further assault.

“This is based on a little warning that has been received,” Air Marshal Fali Homar Major told reporters. “We are prepared as usual.” He offered no further details, but an Indian television network, NDTV, said the warning related to what it called a “9/11” plot timed to coincide with the anniversary on Dec. 6 of the destruction by Hindu militants of the Babri Masji mosque in northern India in 1992.

The reference was to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington using hijacked airliners. News reports on Thursday said six airports, including those at New Delhi and Mumbai, were on alert, with heightened security searches for passengers and warplanes ready to take to the skies.

More at The New York Times.

Mumbai Attack Is Test of Pakistan’s Ability to Curb Militants - Jane Perlez and Somini Sengupta, New York Times

Mounting evidence of links between the Mumbai terrorist attacks and a Pakistani militant group is posing the stiffest test so far of Pakistan’s new government, raising questions whether it can - or wants to - rein in militancy here.

President Asif Ali Zardari says his government has no concrete evidence of Pakistani involvement in the attacks, and American officials have not established a direct link to the government. But as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice landed in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Thursday morning, pressure was building on the government to confront the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which Indian and American officials say carried out the Mumbai attacks.

Though officially banned, the group has hidden in plain sight for years. It has had a long history of ties to Pakistan’s intelligence agencies. The evidence of its hand in the Mumbai attacks is accumulating from around the globe.

More at The New York Times and:

US Presses Pakistan to Help India as Tensions Rise - Wall Street Journal
Angered India Not Ruling Out Military Response - Voice of America
Rice Presses Pakistan To Cooperate - Washington Post
Wounded Mumbai Returns to Life - Washington Post
Pakistani Terror Nexus - Washington Times editorial

Rice heads to India to ease tensions

CNN - 12/02/08

U.S. 'Warned India' of Potential Terror Attack on Mumbai

Fox News - 12/02/08

Pakistan offers India joint investigation of attack

Reuters - 12/02/08

India says no question of military action over Mumbai

Reuters - 12/02/08

Behind the walls of Lashkar's rumoured breeding ground

Irish Times - 12/02/08

Wanted by India, living in Pakistan

Reuters - 12/02/08

'Hand over 20 terror fugitives, including Dawood, Masood Azhar'

Economic Times - 12/02/08

India demands Pakistan hand over terror suspects

Associated Press - 12/02/08

Mumbai attacks: Terrorists took cocaine to stay awake during assault

The Telegraph - 12/02/08

Mumbai attacks: Jews tortured before being executed during hostage crisis

The Telegraph - 12/02/08

More evidence of CIA-backed syndicate involvement in Mumbai attacks

by Wayne Madsen

Online Journal - 12/02/08

Mumbai attacks part of ‘blowback’ for CIA double-cross

by Wayne Madsen

Online Journal - 12/01/08

Mumbai attacks: India says all militants were from Pakistan

The Telegraph - 12/01/08

'No regrets': Captured terrorist's account of Mumbai massacre reveals plan was to kill 5,000

Daily Mail - 12/01/08

Captured Mumbai terrorist reveals plot to slaughter 5000

Herald Sun - 12/01/08

Mumbai terrorist: We were told to kill Israelis

Haaretz - 12/01/08

US tells Pakistan to cooperate in India probe

Associated Press - 12/01/08

'Please boot out this disgrace of a CM by tomorrow'

Times of India - 12/01/08

Decision on Deshmukh likely today

Economic Times - 12/01/08

Extremists Mustn’t be Allowed to Derail India-Pakistan Dialogue

Khaleej Times - 12/01/08

Is 'the most dangerous man in the world' behind the Mumbai attacks?

Haaretz - 11/30/08

Mumbai attacks: Lashkar-e-Taiba, India's chief suspect

The Telegraph - 11/30/08

India enters 'war' alert, blaming Pakistan for Mumbai terror

Associated Press - 11/30/08

Zardari: if evidence points to any group in my country, I shall take the strictest action

The Hindu - 11/30/08

Pakistan Rejects India's Charges, Seeks Proof

Washington Post - 11/30/08

e-mail came from Pakistan

The Hindu - 11/30/08

No Pak hand clear yet: Deshmukh

Indian Express - 11/30/08

State had no specific tip about terror attack: Deshmukh

Press Trust of India - 11/30/08

Pointed intelligence warnings preceded attacks

The Hindu - 11/30/08

Why did NSG take 9 hrs to get there?

Times of India - 11/30/08

Stunned UPA wakes up: Patil in firing line, terror law, Afzal back on table

Indian Express - 11/30/08

Taj denies staff involvement

Press Trust of India - 11/30/08

'Indians operated as if there were no hostages'

Indian Express - 11/30/08

Indian forces kill last gunmen in Mumbai; 195 dead

Associated Press - 11/30/08

India Faces Reckoning as Terror Toll Eclipses 170

New York Times - 11/30/08

Denials Don't Help

Outlook India - 11/29/08

The Gateway Of India

Outlook India - 11/29/08

Was Birmingham-born militant Rashid Rauf behind Mumbai attack?

Sunday Mercury - 11/29/08

The audacious attack which took a year to plan

The Telegraph - 11/29/08

Dawood gang provided logistics to Lashkar militants

Press Trust of India - 11/29/08

Advani renews BJP's demand to ask Pak hand over Dawood

Press Trust of India - 11/29/08

Taj Mahal hotel chairman: We had warning

CNN - 11/29/08

Mumbai attack: 'British men among terrorists'

The Telegraph - 11/29/08

Pakistani Militants At Center Of Probe

Washington Post - 11/29/08

India Faces Questions Over Mumbai Siege

TIME - 11/29/08

India denies British terror link

The Times - 11/29/08

Top official denies Mumbai attackers were British

Reuters - 11/29/08

'No Britons' Among Mumbai Killers

Sky News - 11/29/08

U.S. Intelligence Focuses on Pakistani Group as Substantial Evidence Emerge

India Defence - 11/28/08

D-company provided logistics to Mumbai attackers: Intelligence

India Today - 11/28/08

'Dawood and ISI involved in Mumbai attack'

Economic Times - 11/28/08

India investigates 'terrorist mothership'

The Times - 11/28/08

Did a Criminal Mastermind Stage the Mumbai Nightmare?

by Yoichi Shimatsu

AlterNet - 11/28/08

Reign of violence in Mumbai ends as authorities seize hotel

CBC - 11/28/08

Claims emerge of British terrorists in Mumbai

The Guardian - 11/28/08

Pakistan will extend maximum co-operation to India: FM

Daily Times - 11/28/08

Zardari for joint efforts against terrorism

Daily Times - 11/28/08

Terror attacks test peace agenda

Dawn - 11/28/08

Terrorism in Mumbai and its fallout

Daily Times - 11/28/08

Zardari calls it a detestable act

Dawn - 11/28/08

US spies killed in terrorist raid

Daily Times - 11/28/08

Mauritian I-cards, explosives found from terrorists in Taj

The Hindu - 11/28/08

Mumbai attacks: US dispatching FBI team to Mumbai

Press Trust of India - 11/28/08

ISI chief to visit India to coordinate in investigation

Press Trust of India - 11/28/08

Indian security forces arrest 'Pakistani militant' in Mumbai: report

Agence France-Presse - 11/28/08

3 terrorists including a Pakistani national arrested in Mumbai

IRNA - 11/28/08

Three Lashkar fidayeen captured

The Hindu - 11/28/08

Lashkar was planning fidayeen attacks in Mumbai

The Hindu - 11/28/08

Initial information suggests Pak hand in Mumbai attack: Pranab

Press Trust of India - 11/28/08

Conspiracy against Pak is unfolding

Pakistan Observer - 11/28/08

Propaganda against ISI, Pak Army

Pakistan Observer - 11/28/08

Mumbai attacks blamed on Pakistani groups

The Telegraph - 11/28/08

Made in Pakistan

Haaretz - 11/28/08

Three Pakistani militants held in Mumbai - media

Reuters - 11/28/08

Sophisticated attacks, but Al Qaeda link disputed

Daily Times - 11/28/08

U.K. intelligence suspects Al-Qaeda hand

The Hindu - 11/28/08

Is al-Qaida behind the Mumbai terror attacks?

Haaretz - 11/28/08

Focus on Westerners suggests al-Qaeda was pulling strings

The Times - 11/28/08

Timeline of Mumbai terror bloodbath

Agence-France Press - 11/28/08

Oberoi-Trident cleared, says NSG; 2 terrorists killed

Press Trust of India - 11/28/08

Commandos battle to regain Mumbai: Blame game begins, allegations levelled against Pakistan; death toll put at 119 with over 300 injured

Dawn - 11/28/08

Mumbai Taj Hotel onslaught ends Death toll rises to 125 -All militants killed -‘Deccan Mujahideen’ claim responsibility, demand release of Mujahideen, withdrawal of troops from IHK

Pakistan Observer/AP - 11/28/08

Fight against terrorists "almost coming to end": Police Commissioner

Times of India - 11/28/08

Fierce fighting rages in Mumbai

The Hindu - 11/28/08

In a first, India refuses to negotiate with terrorists

Times of India - 11/28/08

Hijacked ship with satellite phone seized

Times of India - 11/28/08

Terrorists may have hijacked Porbander fishing boat

Times of India - 11/28/08

'I saw them land on the jetty'

Times of India - 11/28/08

Intelligence chiefs were expecting Al-Qaeda spectacular

The Times - 11/27/08

Bombay attacks: 'They were very young, like boys really'

The Times - 11/27/08

Analysis: a new tactic by Islamist militants

The Times - 11/27/08

Mumbai attackers create 'killing zone'

BBC - 11/27/08

Mumbai attacks: Terrorists 'copied al-Qaeda blueprint'

The Telegraph - 11/27/08

Mumbai terror attacks has al-Qaeda hallmarks: UK, US experts

Times of India - 11/27/08

India's 'Mujahideen' groups: a home-grown militancy?

Times of India - 11/27/08

Is India facing threat of home-grown militancy?

Dawn - 11/27/08

Sophisticated Attacks, but by Whom?

New York Times - 11/27/08

Terrorists' identity remains a mystery

International Herald Tribune - 11/27/08

Q+A- Who could be behind the Mumbai attacks and why?

Reuters - 11/27/08

Red Alert: Possible Geopolitical Consequences of the Mumbai Attacks

Stratfor - 11/27/08

Bombay terror attacks: Why the Taj Mahal Hotel was chosen

The Telegraph - 11/27/08

Terrorists did recee, set up control rooms in luxury hotels

Times of India - 11/27/08

Mumbai attacks: the terrorists' tactics

The Telegraph - 11/27/08

Mumbai attacks: Who are the Deccan Mujahedeen terrorists?

The Telegraph - 11/27/08

Experts debate India attack al-Qaida link

United Press International - 11/27/08

Lashkar-e-Taiba denies role in Mumbai attacks

Reuters - 11/27/08

Lashkar-e-Taiba denies role in Mumbai attacks

Economic Times - 11/27/08

Pakistan condemns Mumbai Terror attacks

Pakistan Daily - 11/27/08

India’s Suspicion of Pakistan Clouds U.S. Strategy in Region

New York Times - 11/27/08

Mumbai attackers may be Pakistani nationals

Times of India - 11/27/08

The Mumbai Drama

Pakistan Daily - 11/27/08

India apprehends Pakistan ships

Pakistan Daily - 11/27/08

Witnesses describe Mumbai attackers' arrival by sea

The Guardian - 11/27/08

Report recommended guarding of sea shores, attack could have been prevented

Times of India - 11/27/08

Israeli team leaves for Mumbai

Press Trust of India - 11/27/08

Indian Commandos Storm Jewish Center

New York Times - 11/27/08

Brooklyn Rabbi and Wife Caught in Attacks

New York Times - 11/27/08

Three top cops die on duty

Times of India - 11/27/08

MPs escape terrorist attack in Mumbai

Times of India - 11/27/08

Karkare’s response to a death threat: A 'smiley'

Indian Express - 11/27/08

Analysis: 700 have died in Indian terrorist attacks, but no cases have been solved

The Telegraph - 11/27/08

Pakistan condemns Mumbai Terror attacks

Pakistan Daily - 11/27/08

At Least 100 Dead in India Terror Attacks