Mumbai inched closer to win its latest battle against terror, with the National Security Guard (NSG) taking control of the Oberoi Trident Complex and Nariman House, an office building that houses a Jewish centre.
Commandos were, however, still locked in a grim battle to secure the iconic Taj Mahal hotel where loud explosions and firing were heard from a first floor suite till late at night. However, 300 people have been rescued from the hotel so far where NSG commandos are waging a battle with the lone terrorist. No confirmation was available on the number of hostages, if any.
According to agency reports, attacks on the two hotels and several other locations in Mumbai have so far left 160 people, including 16 policemen dead, and 236 injured in fighting more than 36 hours after militants first struck.
The NSG managed to free 138 people trapped inside the Oberoi Trident hotel complex. However, all five hostages at Nariman House were killed by terrorists.
Two National Security Group (NSG) personnel, including an officer, were killed and six other commandos injured during the operations, the first casualties suffered by the elite force during the siege.
An estimated 25 men armed with assault rifles and grenades — at least some of whom arrived by sea — had fanned out across Mumbai Wednesday night to attack sites popular with tourists and businessmen, including the city's top two luxury hotels.
Meanwhile, in a major diplomatic coup, the government has managed to convince Pakistan to send Inter-services Intelligence (ISI) Chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha to see for himself the evidence that seeks to link the Mumbai terror strike plot to his country.
Pakistan PM Yusuf Raza Gilani agreed to this after he and President Asif Ali Zardari called up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when New Delhi charged Islamabad with unleashing the worst-ever terror strike in India.
In Mumbai, NSG Director General J K Dutt told reporters that the Oberoi Trident complex and Nariman House are totally clear of terrorists and under control. “The two terrorists holed up there have been killed. We are sanitising every room to make sure no undesirable elements are there and relief can be provided to guests there," Dutt said outside the hotel in south Mumbai after more than a day of fierce exchange of fire between his commandos and terrorists.
Twenty-four bodies were found in the search operations in the hotel, Police Commissioner Hasan Gafoor told reporters, adding six hostages were killed on Wednesday by the terrorists under a staircase while taking them to the roof.
The NSG has recovered two AK-47 assault rifles, one pistol and grenades, some unexploded, from the terrorists. The commandos also found money, ammunition and an identity card from Mauritius that they suspected belonged to the militants, the commander said.
Seven credit cards issued by ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, HSBC, Axis and State Bank of India were also recovered, he said.
While the 34-floor Trident has 541 rooms, the adjacent 11-storeyed Oberoi has 327 rooms.
At the 565-room Taj, commandos continued to be engaged in a fierce exchange of fire with a militant who is believed to be moving between floors. "We are trying to corner him," Dutt said.
The NSG has recovered two AK-47 assault rifles, one 9 mm pistol and some unexploded grenades.
In the other theatre of action, Nariman House, commandos — their faces covered by balaclavas — rappelled from helicopters onto the roof at dawn to flush out militants there. “Terrorists have moved to the third floor and it’s just a matter of time before we get them,” a commander said.
Nine terrorists were killed and one, a Pakistani, was arrested, said RR Patil, deputy chief minister of Maharashtra. The attackers arrived in Mumbai from the sea, Patil told reporters.
Thirty bodies were recovered from a hall in the Taj. Bodies and blood were in evidence everywhere in the hotel, Navy commandos said.
The government, meanwhile, is still struggling to come to grips with the real motive behind the terror attacks in Mumbai. One line of enquiry it is actively pursuing is the link of the Mumbai terrorists with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and Al Qaeda.
Top sources of the government told Business Standard that use of the sea route and the huge amount of arms and ammunitions suggests help from Ibrahim and Al Qaeda.
“The Arabian Sea route of the terrorists was used extensively by the smugglers. Also, the terrorists arranged such huge caches of arms and ammunitions that they could fight for almost two days. This is not possible without the help of the underworld network. And no other underworld don but Dawood Ibrahim can arrange for this level of logistics support,” said a senior Home Ministry official.
Ministry officials also hinted that some terrorists had been living in the Nariman House in Colaba for several days and planned their attacks.
The style of the terrorists is also similar to that of Al Qaeda, leading to questions about the biggest terror group’s involvement in India.
Senior government officials feel that the terrorists could have resorted to the easiest way of blowing themselves up after entering the two hotels. “That would have caused bigger damage to human lives and property. They didn’t do that but chose specific targets. This is what puzzles us about their motive,” said an official.
However, another intelligence official said that the agencies inside the hotel had discovered a vast RDX network linked to a remote trigger. The terrorists' plan would have been to blow up the whole hotel once they managed to escape. Their plan was foiled midway.
Senior ministers indicate that the Mumbai attack by Pakistani elements was also aimed to destabilise the economic growth of India. “During this current global slowdown, only India and China are somehow sustaining their growth. While many countries are facing severe recession, we are still talking about 7 per cent growth. An attack on Mumbai, the financial capital would shock the investors and impact the inflow of investments in this crucial time,” a minister said.
