A series of ten coordinated terrorist attacks in India's financial capital and its largest city, Mumbai has shocked the world. The attacks, carried out by armed men using automatic weapons and grenades, began on 26 November 2008 and ended on 29 November 2008.At least 188 people were killed and at least 308 were injured in the attacks. India strongly believes that all the terrorists were Pakistani because Ajmal Amir, the only terrorist who was captured alive, disclosed that the attackers were members of Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Pakistan-based militant organization, considered a terrorist organization by India, the United States, and the United Kingdom, among others.

In a very significant jesture the widow of Slain Chief of Mumbai ATS Mrs. Hemant Karkare has refused the help that was doled out to her by Narendra Modi, chief minister of Gujarat that is ruled by BJP the lead opposition party in India. Till about a week back the entire national brass of BJP was calling Hemant Karkare anti Hindu because of his active investigations into Malegaon blasts. It remains to be seen that the anger and frustration of the populace would manifest into action as Delhi the national capital and a state of the Indian Union is holding elections for its Assembly and BJP has pitched the failure of Congress Government as its main planck.

According to Newyork Times By JEREMY KAHN and ROBERT F. WORTH on 9th of December "The Mumbai police said Tuesday that the 10 men who carried out the terrorist attacks here last month were among 30 recruits selected for suicide missions, and that the whereabouts of the other 20 were unknown."

Furthermore, the authorities had already identified two of the gunmen: Mr. Kasab, from the village of Faridkot, Pakistan, and Ismail Khan, from Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan. The eight remaining gunmen were identified by the police, sometimes only by first names and with varying degrees of location of their origins in Pakistan. The eight were listed as Hafiz Arshad from Multan; Javed from Okara; Shoaib from Narowal; Nazih from Faisalbad; Nasr from Faisalbad; Babr Imran from Multan; Abdul Rahman from Arifwalla; and Fahad Ullah from Dipalpur Taluka.

The police also provided photographs of the gunmen. Five of the pictures were taken from identity cards the men were carrying; three others were morgue shots showing horribly burned and damaged faces. One attacker was burned beyond recognition, the police said.

Indian Muslims from all the categories from Bollywood actors to skullcap-wearing seminary students marched through the heart of Mumbai and several other cities holding up banners proclaiming their condemnation of terrorism and loyalty to the Indian state.
Some of the Muslim Groups have refused to allow the bodies of the nine militants killed in the attacks to be buried in Islamic cemeteries, saying the men were not true Muslims. They also suspended the annual Dec. 6 commemoration of a 1992 riot in which Hindus destroyed a mosque, in an effort to avert communal tension. Muslim religious scholars and public figures have issued strongly worded condemnations of the attacks.

The Mumbai attacks have elicited a strong response from leaders around the world, largely expressing condemnation for the acts of terrorism and condolences for the relatives of those killed.

President of the United States George W. Bush told Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh that American agencies will "throw their weight" behind India's investigation into the Mumbai terror attacks and demonstrate a "shared commitment" to combat terrorism.Pakistan strongly condemned the attacks and offered its intelligence support to combat terrorism.

Sovereign nations have the right to protect themselves, US President-elect Barack Obama said, when asked if India could follow the same policy he advocated during his election campaign — of bombing terrorist camps in Pakistan if there was actionable evidence and Islamabad refused to act on it.

The United States sent a team of agents from its own Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to assist in the probe into the Mumbai attacks and American President George W. Bush pledged "full support" to India in its efforts to unearth the plot behind the deadly terror strikes. While a group of FBI agents were en route to India, a second group of investigators was on alert to join the first team if necessary.

"The FBI continues to monitor the situation in Mumbai and the Counterterrorism Division is reviewing all of the information and intelligence available," bureau spokesman Richard Kolko told The Washington Post.

Australia has sent a team of Federal Police to Mumbai. A group of seven officers have arrived to study the terror attack and the modus operandi used by the terrorists.

Britain has sent 15 forensic experts from the intelligence services to Mumbai to help with the investigations on the attacks on India’s financial capital. A Scotland Yard team is also investigating the terror attack.

Israel had offered a forty-strong team of special operation forces and assistance in investigations.

Malaysian authorities are investigating reports that Malaysian-issued credit cards were found in the belongings of the terrorists involved in the Mumbai attacks. Malaysia will also coordinate with Interpol over reports that some of the Mumbai attackers passed themselves off as Malaysian citizens.

References: Information taken from TimesofIndia.Com & Rediff.Com

A few days after the attacks, the Indian news channel CNN-IBN re-aired a program 'Operation Water Rat' that they had initally aired in February 2006. The program revealed huge lapses in the Indian Coastal security setup. The reporters had smuggled in crates of apples into Mumbai three times from international waters, by landing their cargo on different beaches near Mumbai. Despite this alarming program having been aired and the reporters having submitted extensive reports to the Mumbai Police, the Maharashtra Police and the Coast Guard, little action was taken to reduce Mumbai's vulnerability to terror attacks from the sea.

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The most wanted man in the world is believed to be hiding in Pakistan, perhaps in the Waziristan region. U.S. President George W. Bush has said Bin Laden is wanted dead or alive. But for six years, Bin Laden has been able to evade the largest manhunt in international history by sticking to the unruly tribal areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda, is the world's biggest terrorist. He has been indicted in federal court in New York for the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed more than 200 people. Bin Laden has also been charged for conspiring to kill Americans outside the U.S. He has claimed responsibility for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S. that killed 3,000 people, including both Americans and foreign nationals. The State Department has put a $25 million reward on his head. The Saudi-born Bin Laden is probably 51 years old.

 

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Mexico's most powerful drug trafficker has taken over the drug racket once dominated by Colombians like Pablo Escobar. Guzman, known as el Chapo, or shorty, heads the Sinaloa Cartel, specializing in importing cocaine from Colombia and smuggling it into the U.S., often through elaborate tunnels. Ruthless and determined, Guzman has lorded over a bloody power struggle in Mexico over transport corridors to the U.S. that have left thousands dead.

After the Mexican courts ruled he could be extradited to the U.S. in 2001, Guzman escaped from prison in a laundry truck. Since then he has evaded close encounters with the Mexican military. The U.S. government has indicted Guzman and placed a $5 million bounty on this fugitive.

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India's most wanted man heads D-Company, an organized crime group based in Mumbai. This son of a policeman reputedly oversees a criminal empire involved in all sorts of international activity, including drug trafficking, counterfeiting, weapons smuggling and murder. Ibrahim is suspected of having organized the 1993 Bombay Blasts that killed 257 people and wounded 713.

He is believed to have associated with Al Qaeda. The U.S. has declared him a global terrorist and the United Nations has attempted to freeze his assets. Though the Pakistani government denies it, the 52-year-old Ibrahim is probably in Pakistan. He is believed to have close links to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency and travels on passports from India, Yemen, Pakistan. There are rumors that he has had plastic surgery to alter his appearance.

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Originally from Uzbekistan, Tokhtakhounov is the face of the modern Russian mob, especially since Semion Mogilevich was detained earlier this year. Tokhtakhounov is known as "Taiwanchik" for his Asian features. The U.S. government calls him a "major figure in international Eurasian Organized Crime" who has been involved in "drug distribution, illegal arms sales and trafficking in stolen vehicles."

He is suspected of fixing everything from beauty pageants to Olympic events in Utah. In 2002, the U.S. government indicted him for bribing Olympic figure skating judges to favor the French team, robbing Canadians Jamie Sale and David Pelletier of gold medals in the pairs competition. The U.S. tried to get him after he was arrested in Italy, but the Italians eventually freed Tokhtakhounov, who has since disappeared and is probably in Russia.

For more Information please Visit http://www.forbes.com

Karambir Singh Kang, the general manager of the Taj Mahal Hotel, acted with great courage during the recent Mumbai tragedy.

Karambir Singh lost his wife and two sons in the hotel when they were forced to barricade themselves inside a room on the 6th floor. They died from asphyxiation while hiding in the bathroom of their hotel residential suite. Karambir called his mom in Mohali, Kanwaljeet Kaur, to tell her what had happened. Her words, “Go save the others,” gave him the courage to help other hotel guests while his wife and children could not be reached.

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In a show of solidarity, Indian Muslims are demanding Pakistan to be declared a terrorist state. Protesters also wanted to know why officials had apparently ignored initial reports of possible attacks on Mumbai.

They also asked several questions including why compensation to victims’ families was low especially when people had died due to what they saw as gross negligence and lethargy on the part of the government. Why were illiterate people and prisoners being allowed to contest elections, they asked.

References: http://www.nowpublic.com/world/angry-mumbai-residents-rally-against-politicians

According to The Daily Californian "Whenever political civility is shattered by senseless acts of violence, people invariably look for reasons why. In the digital age, the blame has increasingly been leveled against the forces of technology. This occurred last week during the terrorist attacks on Mumbai, where 10 terrorists besieged the financial capital of India and murdered at least 173.

With the siege still underway, the finger was waved at microblogging site Twitter. A rumor quickly emerged that the terrorists themselves were tracking the content on Twitter to monitor law enforcement advances, thereby prolonging the siege and increasing its severity. But it's unlikely the ephemeral content on Twitter (which updates several times a minute) could have been useful to the terrorists, who had other things to worry about at the time.

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Do you believe science is becoming a major danger to the world? Do you believe whatever is happening in the world is also because of the science or you believe that science is for the betterment of humans say you have someone who is born with hemophilia (Their blood cant coagulate) they grow up and have children, only because medicine they take helps them live. Now they have passed the gene for this genetic defect on to their children, and so on and so fourth. Now say that there never was any modern medicine, all people with a deadly genetic defect would have died.

Opinions are welcome for the soon to be launched column "Opinions" in ISpeakI segment. Mail is the thoughts at terrorismends@gmail.com

Thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi For Terrorism

"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless,
whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism
or the holy name of liberty and democracy?"

"Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well."

"I cannot teach you violence, as I do not myself believe in it. I can only teach you not to bow your heads before any one even at the cost of your life."

 

- Mahatma Mohandas K. Gandhi 

 

According to the latest news from IBN Live "Jammu and Kashmir Police have averted a major terror strike with the arrest of three Jaish-e-Mohammad fidayeen (suicide bombers).

All the three terrorists belong to Pakistan and one of them, Gulam Fareed, is a serving Pakistani Army soldier. Fareed joined the infantry battalion of the Pakistan Army as a sepoy in 2001."

 

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The cries of little Moshe Holtzberg wounded hearts at a tearful memorial for his parents in India. "Mommy, mommy, mommy!" he wailed, clutching a toy basketball while squirming in the arms of mourners at the Mumbai synagogue.
Two-year old Moshe Holtzberg, the orphan of the rabbi and his wife is now in Israel as his maternal grandparents; Yehudit and Shimon Rosenberg have flown back to Israel.
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What are the psychological effects of war on the country or its cityzens, Some detailed informative notes have been written by Terence T. Gorski

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A new and highly controversial phrase has entered the sometimes cliche-riddled Indian press: "Hindu terrorism".

As with the term "Islamic terrorism" and "Christian fundamentalism", this latest addition to the media lexicon is highly emotive.

It was in the aftermath of the 29 September bomb blast in the predominantly Muslim town of Malegaon in the western state of Maharashtra that the term "Hindu terrorism" or "saffron terrorism" came to be used widely.

That was because the state police's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested 10 Hindus following the blasts and has said that it wants to arrest several more.

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The devastating events in Mumbai have compelled India once again to face the problem of how to deal with Pakistan. This time around, it is no longer a question of picking up the pieces and returning to normal pursuits. The manner of the terrorist attacks have cut the country deep and citizens are asking questions of the authorities at the local, regional and national levels.

While the Manmohan Singh government is trying to find answers as best it can, the larger question of relations with our north-western neighbour remains to be answered.
New Delhi thought it had found at least a partial answer in January 2004 with then president Pervez Musharraf promising prime minister AB Vajpayee in a declaration that he would not permit territory under his country’s control to be used for terrorist purposes.

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FOR ALL of us at TEHELKA, Gujarat 2002: The Truth is the most important investigation of our time. Some may argue against this but in so many ways, it is more urgent than Operation West End. Exposing corruption in the procurement of arms was critical. That the gravy chain ran long and deep — through top political echelons — was a revelation in the national interest.

But unlike West End, which dealt with greed and avarice, Gujarat is about our fundamentals. It is about ourselves. It is important because the hopelessly one-sided perpetration of violence on hapless Muslims is one of the biggest ruptures of recent times. A corrosive rupture. A nation’s shame.

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The news-magazine Tehelka has done another spycam exposé, this time with conspirators involved in the Gujarat riots of 2002. The Tehelka website is full of very bold claims regarding the importance of the statements made in the video footage they’ve captured, and thus far they’ve put up three YouTube videos to back up the hype. One spycam interview, with Babu Bajrangi of the Bajrang Dal, is here:

Fore more Information:

http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/004812.html

 

Mumbai lost some of its finest men in uniform including ATS Chief Hemant Karkare, who died leading his men into the encounter. He suffered three gun shots in the chest.

According to one police officer "Karkare sir had a unique way of working. He was always in the forefront as well as quiet, cheerful and inspiring" Another police officer Constable Dattatray Deshmukh has added "we have lost a great officer ,"

Mumbai Police Commissioner Ashok Kamte was killed in a gun battle during the terrorist attacks in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, along with two other high-ranking officers. "Encounter specialist" Vijay Salaskar and Kamte were killed in a gun battle near the Metro Cinema

“He was not only an efficient and daredevil officer, but a gem of a person. Though he was senior to me, we shared a good rapport,” said Prashant Burde, ACP (Crime), of the Thane city police who had earlier worked With Kamte in Kolhapur range.

An officer of the 1983 batch, Salaskar in his 24 years of service has eliminated many criminals. Amar Naik, Jaggu Shetty, Sadhu Shetty, Kundan Singh Rawat, Zahoor Makhanda are some of the gangsters who have fallen to Salaskar’s bullets. According to sources, the police officer had once even gone hunting for former don Arun Gawli. “But Gawli fled from the scene, forcing Salaskar to return empty-handed. However, Salaskar got even by killing his two trusted men, Sada Pawle and Vijay Tandel, in 1997.

According to Indian Express, Senior Inspector Vijay Salaskar never knew what fear was. This, in fact, was a trait he shared with many of the 450-odd officers from the 1983 batch of the Maharashtra Police.

"It was due to officers like Salaskar and others of the 83 batch that Mumbai citizens went to sleep without fear. He was a hardworking person to the core. Once an assignment was handed over to him, he would not sleep till it was accomplished," said Borude.

"He served the country well," said the father of slain NSG Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan in a choked voice while his mother caressed the face of her only son who died fighting the militants in Mumbai.

Sandeep, a Major in the Indian Army serving in the elite National Security Guards (NSG) was a brave soldier. He was killed in action while fighting terrorists in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.

“Do not come up, I will handle them.” These were probably the last words which Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan told his men as he was hit by bullets while engaging well armed terrorists inside the Taj Hotel, Mumbai during the Black Tornado operation..

This 31 year old brave man was born in Cheruvannur - Kozhikode district, Kerala on March 17, 1977 from where his family migrated to Banglore and was settled there. Major Sandeep was the only son of retired ISRO officer Mr. K. Unnikrishnan and Mrs. Dhanalakshmi, or should I say, India’s only son.

Angry and frustrated tens of thousands of people descended on Mumbai’s streets, close to the site of last week’s attacks in which at least 188 people died.

According to the several newspapers published worldwide rallies were touted as peaceful rallies but the mood at India’s biggest spontaneous and leaderless march was combative rather than peaceful.

The outrage and anger was directed at politicians and neighbouring Pakistan. A sea of humanity had gathered to protest against last week’s violence as well as against an apparent repeated failure to stop such attacks.

For the first time there was no leader, no organizers and no speeches were made. People had come together, reacting to messages via SMS, email, blogs on social networking sites like Facebook. This event marked the beginning of tech-driven protesting in India. The internet has emerged as a phenomenal organizing tool to bring youths together.

As pakistan is demanding proofs of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba's (LT) involvement from india for the latest Mumbai Attacks, India has given proof of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba's (LT) involvement in last month's Mumbai terrorist attacks to Pakistan and Islamabad must now take action, acting Indian high commissioner Manpreet Vohra said on Monday.

He also mentioned while talking to the reporters that November 26 was a 'black day' for India, saying New Delhi had also suffered a huge economic setback because of the Mumbai carnage. India had 'substantial evidence' of the involvement of Pakistani elements including the LT in the attacks, Vohra said, but also added that India wanted peaceful and cordial ties with Pakistan. "We don't want war with Pakistan, because war will put the future of both the countries at stake," he said.

Vohra said India condemned terrorism no matter where it occurred -- "India, Pakistan or anywhere else in the world" -- and urged the Pakistani government to take note of "anti-state elements" disrupting peacez. To a question, he said India hoped to revive trade ties with Pakistan and possibly sign a Free Trade Agreement, but "at the moment we are not sure about it".

Beach beds are lined up outside the snack bars dotting the sandy white coastline and dance music booms from bars and restaurants. The only thing missing from Goa's beaches are the throngs of merrymakers who normally flock here for the hedonistic year-end parties.

With the country on alert in the wake of the terror attacks in Mumbai that killed 164 people and nine accused gunmen, Goa officials have banned beach parties and stepped up patrols. Scores of spooked foreigners have canceled vacations.

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Hunted by the US and NATO forces for committing acts of terror in Afghanistan, the Taliban on Tuesday said they would back the Pakistan Army by deploying hundreds of suicide bombers in case of any military action with India.

Claiming that "thousands of our well-armed militants are ready to fight alongside the army if any war is imposed on Pakistan," chief of the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, Baitullah Mehsud, told The News daily by phone from an undisclosed location.

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The United States has told Pakistan in clear words that last month’s Mumbai terror strikes could not be swept under the carpet and it wasn’t doing enough to eradicate terrorism from its soil.

The message was conveyed by top American officials to Pakistan’s national security adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani, who was summoned to Washington as the US was “getting increasingly frustrated with what it views as Islamabad’s shifty and shifting position on the Mumbai attacks and their aftermath”, the Daily Times newspaper reported.

US counter-terrorism officials have admitted that that they were caught caught off-guard by Lashkar-e-Taiba's "highly sophisticated" Mumbai terror strikes last month, which top spies now consider the debut of a new "brand name" to rival al Qaeda.

The Islamist group was formed with Pakistani government help decades ago, but US officials admit underestimating Lashkar's shift from waging a minor conflict in the Jammu and Kashmir region to threatening Westerners and Jews.

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