DEVELOPING: FINAL ASSAULT ON IN MUMBAI SIEGE

Mumbai: Army, Marine Commandos (MARCOS) and National Security Guard (NSG) commandos are involved in a fierce encounter with a group of terrorists inside the Taj and Oberoi hotels.

NSG Director General Jyoti Krishan Dutt said that the first, second and third floors of Oberoi Hotel have been sanitised while the operation is in the finals stages at the Taj.

MARCOS, the first team to enter the hotels, encountered stiff resistance from the terrorists who were heavily armed and well entrenched inside.

One commando was killed two others injured in the operation at Taj in which one rucksack full of plastic explosives, eight–nine loaded AK–47 magazines, large amounts of ammunition, hand grenades, detonators, batteries, wrist watches for IEDs, foreign currencies, fake credit cards, dry fruits and cash carried by the terrorists were recovered.

Major General RK Hooda General Officer Commanding of Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat, who is supervising the operations at the Taj Hotel, said, "NSG is here. They are carrying out a very deliberative operation. They are trained for it and are the best in the country. I have faith in them."

Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/developing-final-assault-on-in-mumbai-siege/79178-3.html

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Mumbai Under Terror Attack - Breaking News

Mumbai is under a terror attack right now. The attacks started at around 10 pm at south Mumbai according to the news reports that started coming in on TV. The Oberoi Hotel in Nariman Point was under heavy firing from inside and two blasts were heard.

Fresh Update: This is the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, a prominent landmark in South Mumbai just opposite the Gateway Of India, is the place where some terrorists at present are still holed up with hostages and the top story of the Hotel is on fire which is being doused out by the firefighters. The fire has been raging inside the hotel since last night when some blasts had occurred near the dome of the hotel.

There were reports of firing with AK-47 rifles at random by some unidentified people in the Leopold Cafe in South Mumbai in Colaba, Mumbai. This was the first place from where we heard about the firing occuring. Slowly, news reports also came in from firing also happening in the CST station, Churchgate station, Worli, Napean sea road and also a blast in Vile Parle. There are also reports of Hand grenades being fired at the police vans from Colaba Causeway.

Few people have been injured and taken to hospitals nearby, Mainly Kama hospital in Mumbai, Colaba is also been targeted.

The fresh news reports are coming in even now.

Mainly, Oberoi Hotel in Nariman point and the Taj hotel in Colaba seem to be the central point of the encounter that is happening. I myself heard two blasts that had occurred a little while ago, reportedly from the Oberoi hotel area. The police still seem to have no clue as to what is happening and who is behind all this chaos that's going on and why.

Apparently 3 poeple have been killed (died) in Taj Hotel. Police have surrounded all the areas in Colaba and local trains from CST have been stopped. Two grenades have been fired at the police in the Taj area.

The latest news is that the terrorists have planted some bombs in the Taj Hotel and the police are now trying to get the bomb squad to try and locate the bombs and diffuse them, if possible.

The terrorists are apparently in the Old Taj building and have grenades that they are throwing at the police.

Whole Mumbai is now under Red alert as more and more news of such attacks from other areas are coming in.

More and more people are getting injured as the situation is progressing. The injured are being taken to GT Hospital in Colaba.

Video reports from Oberoi Hotel shows people at their room windows, trying to escape. Some are standing on the ledge of the windows. Police are confused as to who they are. Police is trying to identify them by a flash light, but can't see clearly if they are residents of the Hotel?

News reports from CST just in that the firing still going on there too. The terrorists have taken over a bogie of a train and are firing from there. About 10 people have been reported as dead in CST.

Update: A petrol pump has been blown up in Colaba near market area. And reports are that these people who are firing are not running away but are holding their posts and continuing to fire away.

Mumbai is definitely under siege and looks like they have an agenda. Now what exactly is that nobody knows.

Two loud explosions have been heard from the CST station recently.

Fresh reports from Oberoi Hotel says that the lobby of the hotel was on fire and two explosions from hand grenades were heard. According to the news reports on TV the terrorists have now got 15 British residents as their hostage and Commando operation is now under way at the Oberoi Hotel.

Let's see how the situation develops further.

Source: http://www.xomba.com/mumbai_under_terror_attack_breaking_news

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Mumbai under siege: Some hostages freed as gunmen battle army

MUMBAI - Indian commandos freed hostages from Mumbai's Taj Mahal hotel on Thursday but battled on with gun-toting Islamist militants who launched an audacious attack across India's financial capital, killing more than 100 people.

The gunmen arrived by boats in Mumbai on Wednesday, before fanning out and attacking luxury hotels, a landmark cafe, hospitals and a railway station, firing indiscriminately.

Some 17 hours after the late-evening assault, soldiers and militants were still exchanging intermittent fire and more than 100 people were trapped inside rooms of the Taj Mahal hotel, a 105-year-old city landmark.

"People who were held up there, they have all been rescued," Maharashtra state police chief A.N. Roy told the NDTV news channel. "But there are guests in the rooms, we don't know how many."

Roy said some people were still apparently being held hostage at the nearby Trident/Oberoi Hotel. "That is why the operation is being conducted more sensitively to ensure there are no casualties of innocent people."

Police said at least six foreigners were killed and another 287 people were wounded in the attacks, which were claimed by the little-known Deccan Mujahideen group.

"Release all the mujahideens, and Muslims living in India should not be troubled," said a militant inside the Oberoi, speaking to Indian television by telephone.

The man, who identified himself only as Sahadullah, said he was one of seven attackers inside the hotel, and wanted Islamist militants to be freed from Indian jails.

Later, an explosion was heard at the hotel, a Reuters witness said.

At least two guests, trapped in their rooms in the Taj, also phoned TV stations. One said the firedoors were locked, and 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.

The attacks were 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.

Authorities closed stock, bond and foreign exchange markets, and the central bank said it would continue auctions to keep cash flowing through interbank lending markets, which seized up after the global financial crisis.

Young men shooting indiscriminately
The militants struck at the heart of Mumbai's financial and tourist center on Wednesday, with one of the first targets the Cafe Leopold, a famous hangout popular with foreign tourists.

They fired automatic weapons indiscriminately and threw grenades before settling in for a long siege at the Taj and the Trident/Oberoi.

"There could be 100-200 people inside the (Trident/Oberoi) hotel, but we cannot give you the exact figure as many people have locked themselves inside their rooms," Maharashtra state deputy chief minister R.R. Patil told reporters.

"There could be 10-12 terrorists inside the hotel," he said. "There are no negotiations with the terrorists."

The attackers appeared to target British and Americans as they sought hostages. Israelis were also among the hostages, a television channel reported, while police said an Israeli rabbi was also being held by gunmen in a Mumbai apartment.

Witnesses said the attackers were young South Asian men in their early 20s, most likely Indians, speaking Hindi or Urdu.

Television footage showed gunmen in a pick-up truck spraying people with rifle fire as the vehicle drove down a Mumbai street.

Hotel staff evacuated wounded on luggage trolleys, with passers-by covered in blood after they rushed to help. Some clambered down ladders to safety.

Blow for ruling party, investments
The attacks could be another blow for the Congress party-led government ahead of a general election due by early 2009, with the party already under fire for failing to prevent a string of bomb attacks on Indian cities.

Strategic expert Uday Bhaskar said the attacks could inflame tensions between Hindus and Muslims.

"The fact that they were trying to segregate British and American passport holders definitely suggests Islamist fervor," Bhaskar 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.

Schools were closed and a curfew was imposed around the Gateway of India, a colonial-era monument. But train services were running as normal taking people to work in the stunned city.

Rakesh Patel, a British witness who was staying at the Taj Mahal hotel on business, said the attackers were looking for British and U.S. passport holders.

"They came from the restaurant and took us up the stairs. They had bombs. Young boys, maybe 20 years old, 25 years old. They had two guns," he told the NDTV channel, smoke stains covering his face.

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.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd confirmed one Australian had been killed by the attacks in Mumbai, but it was possible the number of Australians killed could rise. Two other Australians were also injured in the attacks.

In Washington, the White House and President-elect Barack Obama condemned the attacks, as did France, current president of the European Union, and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Source: http://abs-cbnnews.com/world/11/27/08/mumbai-under-siege-some-hostages-freed-gunmen-battle-army

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