Pakistan/Afghanistan: On Ground Updates - June 09, 2012

Pakistan/Afghanistan: On Ground Updates

“We are reaching the limits of our patience, and for that reason it is extremely important that Pakistan take action to prevent this kind of safe haven.”

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta

Kabul, Afghanistan, June o7, 2012

READ the story HERE

.U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta walks with Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony in New Delhi, June 06, 2012. Panetta and Antony discussed the stable and well-developed defense relationship between the two countries and the possibility of India taking a larger role in Afghanistan.

DoD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

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* NYDailyNews.com had this report up Friday afternoon and it starts off like this… Expressing both public and private frustration with Pakistan, the Obama administration has unleashed the CIA to resume an aggressive campaign of drone strikes in Pakistani territory over the last few weeks, approving strikes that might have been vetoed in the past for fear of angering Islamabad… Now, said a senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity in discussing sensitive issues, the administration's attitude is, "What do we have to lose?"… Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta made clear the deteriorating relations with Islamabad on Thursday, saying the United States is "reaching the limits of our patience" because Pakistan has not cracked down on local insurgents who carry out deadly attacks on U.S. troops and others in neighboring Afghanistan… "It is difficult to achieve peace in Afghanistan as long as there is safe haven for terrorists in Pakistan," Panetta told reporters…

Read the rest at link below…

CIA gets nod to step up drone strikes in Pakistan

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* FOXNews.com also had a great report posted up on their website Friday and it starts off like this… Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has not visited Pakistan since taking over as defense secretary a year ago… In a visit to India and Afghanistan this week, he skipped Islamabad again and expressed outright frustration with the Pakistani leadership and the safe havens they provide the Taliban in the Northwest Frontier province, especially the so-called Haqqani network… Admiral Mike Mullen in a parting shot at the Pakistanis did not mince his words when he said Pakistan's intelligence service provides direct support of the Haqqani network, whose fighters are killing US troops in Afghanistan….

Read this report in full/watch the News Video at link below…

US will do whatever necessary to protect forces in Pakistan, Panetta says
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* DAWN.com has the following report posted Saturday and it starts off like this… So it was a bad sign this week when the US defense secretary joshed in front of an audience of Indians about how Washington kept Pakistan in the dark about the raid that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden a year ago… “They didn’t know about our operation. That was the whole idea,” Leon Panetta said with a chuckle at a Q&A session after a speech in New Delhi, raising laughs from the audience… The Bin Laden raid by US commandos in a Pakistani town infuriated Islamabad because it had no advance notice, and it was seen by Pakistan’s powerful military as a humiliation… The US and Pakistan are starting to look more like enemies than allies, threatening the US fight against Taliban and al-Qaida militants based in the country and efforts to stabilize neighboring Afghanistan before American troops withdraw…

Read the full report at link below…

US, Pakistan beginning to look more like enemies.

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* HindustanTimes.com has this interesting Book Review that goes in part like this. … Pakistani Journalist Ahmed Rashid, an astute chronicler of the troubled region, believes that talk about a peaceful transition to a workable Afghan State in 2014 is delusional, and smacks of tired spin. In ‘Pakistan On The Brink’, a collection of essays on the future of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the West, Rashid’s vision of the region is unrelentingly bleak. Nuclear-armed Pakistan, he writes, is on the verge of State collapse and becoming an international pariah, Afghanistan is far from ready for competent self-rule, and the US has no strategic vision for stabilising the region. So it is hurtling towards “greater conflict and contradiction rather than peaceful resolution and reconciliation”…

Read this review in full at link below…

Review: Pakistan On The Brink

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AubreyJ………

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Terrorist Attacks in Mumbai, India - Updates November 29, 2008

Terrorist Attacks in Mumbai, India
* Mumbai Terror Rage Ends *

Saturday Updates
November 29, 2008.

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* The Miami Herald - Front Page had this article -- with LOTS OF PHOTOS and more -- posted on their website this Saturday morning and it starts off like this... This seaside city of 18 million known for its resilience has bounced back from wrenching tragedy before, but after the most brazen terror attack in India's history, the people of Mumbai are worried... In crowded trains, corner stores, office buildings and neighborhood parks, residents ask each other the same questions. "Is anyone safe?" and "Could it happen again?"... After the 60-hour siege that left at least 195 dead in attacks at 10 sites across Mumbai, including landmarks familiar to nearly every person, fear and grief have spread across a city that attracts newcomers by the hundreds every day...
Read the rest at link below...
A worried Mumbai tries to recover from fatal siege
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* FoxNews.com has this report posted on their website this morning... Indian investigators, with the help of FBI agents, a Pakistani intelligence official and other foreign experts, are fanning out in their hunt for any remaining terrorists tied to the brutal attacks in the country's financial capital that killed at least 195 people and injured more than 300... The terrorists' final siege ended Saturday morning — two-and-a-half days after the attacks began — but the efforts to determine who carried out the attacks have only begun...Local media already have labeled the massacre "India's 9/11."...
Read the full report at link below...
Indian Authorities Hunt for Terror Group Responsible for Massacre in Mumbai

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Mumbai Terror Rage Ends After 60 Hours

About News Video Report: A terror rampage that engulfed Mumbai, India is over, as forces take down the last terrorists barricaded in a hotel. Now officials are trying to figure out who is behind the siege that killed almost 200 people. (Nov. 29)
News Video posted on YouTube by AssociatedPress
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* Now here’s a chilling report I found this evening at the DailyMail.co.uk website. Be sure to click this one out...
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'I was told to kill to my last breath'
Captured terrorist's account of Mumbai massacre reveals plan was to kill 5,000
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The only terrorist captured alive after the Mumbai massacre has given police the first full account of the extraordinary events that led to it – revealing he was ordered to ‘kill until the last breath’... Azam Amir Kasab, 21, from Pakistan, said the attacks were meticulously planned six months ago and were intended to kill 5,000 people... He revealed that the ten terrorists, who were highly trained in marine assault and crept into the city by boat, had planned to blow up the Taj Mahal Palace hotel after first executing British and American tourists and then taking hostages... Mercifully, the group, armed with plastic explosives, underestimated the strength of the 105-year-old building’s solid foundations... As it is, their deadly attacks have left close to 200 confirmed dead, with the toll expected to rise to nearly 300 once the hotel has been fully searched by security forces... Read the rest HERE
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Post Updates:
Sunday, November 30, 2008
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* FoxNews.com brings us this report early this Sunday morning and it starts off like this... India's top security official resigned on Sunday, as the government struggled under growing accusations of security failures following the Mumbai terror attacks that left at least 174 people dead, New Delhi TV reported... Shivraj Patil's successor will be current Finance Minister P Chidambaram, and many other bureaucrats — including India's national security adviser, intelligence bureau director and home secretary — reportedly may be asked to quit... Patil has become highly unpopular during a long series of terror attacks. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy announced that his resignation is "too little too late" and that the entire government is "dysfunctional."...
Read the rest at link below...
India's Unpopular Home Minister Resigns in Wake of Mumbai Attacks
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Over the next few days, I’ll be updating this post on Wednesday evening’s unprecedented terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, so check back!
AubreyJ.........

Terrorist Attacks in Mumbai, India - Updates November 28, 2008

Terrorist Attacks in Mumbai, India
Friday Updates
November 28, 2008

Hello everyone...
Hope you all had a very nice Thanksgiving...

With that said... Let’s get started with today’s updates on all those tragic attacks in India, that started early Wednesday evening and are just now winding down... with this report by BBC News. It starts off like this...
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....Investigators in the Indian city of Mumbai are beginning to pie=ce together how gunmen carried out Wednesday's series of deadly attacks... The exact sequence of events remains unclear, but security personnel are establishing a picture of how the operation was planned and executed... All the signs, officials say, point to a well-planned action carried out by a highly trained, determined group... The men appeared to have surveyed their targets in advance and were well-versed in the use of weapons and explosives, a Indian commando said... Their intention, he said, was "to create and spread terror"...
Read the full report at link below...
Battles rage for Mumbai hostages
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....* The StraitsTimes.com had this take on the story at their website today and it starts off like this... The young men stepping out of the inflatable dinghy at the famed Gateway of India jetty wore jeans and jackets and carried rucksacks... As Mr. Bharat Tamore, an assistant supervisor at the Taj Mahal Hotel, peered through the dim light of late evening, eight men got off the boat, jumping off in pairs... When he approached to inquire, they were quick to respond: 'Students hai.' (We are students.) The boat revved its motor and sped away... Fifteen minutes later, Mr. Tamore heard the rattle of gunshots near the Shamiana restaurant, the Taj's coffee shop, and instantly connected it to the fair-skinned 'students' he had seen disembark from the boat...
Read the rest of this story at link below...
How they did it

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Forces Assault Besieged Jewish Center in Mumbai

About News Video: Security forces assaulted a Jewish center in Mumbai where Muslim militants were believed holed up with possible hostages Friday. (Nov. 27)
This News Video Report posted on YouTube by AssociatedPress
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. Travel Alert
DoS - U.S. Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
This information is current as of today, Fri Nov 28 11:48:14 2008.

November 27, 2008
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The Department of State warns U.S. citizens about heightened security concerns in India, and advises U.S. citizens traveling to or already in India to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness. This Travel Alert expires on December 31, 2008.
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There are heightened security concerns in India following the November 26 terrorist attacks on hotels, a railway station, restaurant, hospital, and other locations in Mumbai frequented by Westerners. Over 100 persons are believed to have been killed, and hundreds injured. Casualties include both Indian and foreign nationals. Americans appear to have been among those specifically targeted. U.S. citizens should exercise caution and take prudent security measures, including maintaining a high level of vigilance, avoiding crowds and demonstrations, keeping a low profile, varying times and routes for all travel, and ensuring travel documents are current.
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In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, the Department of State urged Americans to defer travel to Mumbai for at least 48-72 hours. American citizens in need of assistance related to the terrorist attacks should call the Department of State or the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai.
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Americans throughout India should be vigilant about security at all times. The Embassy and Consulates are actively assessing the countrywide security environment. Americans are advised to monitor local news reports, vary their routes and times in carrying out daily activities, and consider the level of security present when visiting public places, including religious sites, or hotels, restaurants, entertainment and recreation venues. If unattended packages are spotted, American citizens should immediately exit the area and report the packages to authorities.
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For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov/ where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, and Travel Alerts can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States and Canada or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). Americans are also encouraged to read the Country Specific Information for India, available on the Embassy's website at http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov/, and also at http://travel.state.gov/.
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U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department's travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency. For additional information, please refer to "A Safe Trip Abroad" found at http://travel.state.gov/.
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U.S. citizens may contact the American Citizens Services Unit of the Embassy or the Consulates General for further information:
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-- The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi is located at Shanti Path, Chanakya Puri 110021; telephone +91-11-2419-8000; fax +91-11-2419-8407. The Embassy's Internet home page address is http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov/.
-- The U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai (Bombay) is located at Lincoln House, 78 Bhulabhai Desai Road, 400026, telephone +91-22-2363-3611; fax +91-22-2363-0350. The Internet home page address is http://mumbai.usconsulate.gov/.
-- The U.S. Consulate General in Chennai (Madras) is at 220 Anna Salai, Gemini Circle, 600006, telephone +91-44-2857-4000; fax +91-44-2811-2027. The Internet home page address is http://chennai.usconsulate.gov/.
-- The U.S. Consulate General in Kolkata (Calcutta) is at 5/1 Ho Chi Minh Sarani, 700071; telephone +91-33-3984-2400; fax +91-33-2282-2335. The Internet home page address is http://kolkata.usconsulate.gov/.

Above info from DoS Website

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* Guardian.co.uk had this terrifying post on their website today and it goes in part like this...
...”He said: ‘Get down, get down, don’t speak.’ I just curled myself in the smallest ball I could and closed my eyes. The gunfire was sporadic. It sounded like they sprayed everyone and then looked to see who was alive and then started shooting at them on the floor... “I was covered in other people’s blood and I think that is what saved me. I was just hoping that if I stayed still they would think I was already dead. After about five minutes it stopped and I opened my eyes. There were dead people next to me who had been shot in the head. There was blood everywhere.”...
Read this and other horrifying stories at link below...
From under beds, tables, and ‘other people’s blood’ – tales of survival
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>Also from the Guardian’s website we find this report today...
Death toll climbs past 150 as city reels from terror attack

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11:00pm CST
* It’s Over!!! *

* FoxNews.com brings us this report late this Friday evening and it starts off like this...
Two and a half days after teams of Islamist terrorists began their brutal attacks across India's financial capital, their final standoff at the Taj Majal hotel is OVER after Indian commandos took the building by force, the country's commando chief told local media... The hotel was the final terror hotspot Saturday morning, with Indian authorities already appearing to have regained control over the rest of the city after the wave of attacks launched late Wednesday night. Security officials told FOX News' sister network Sky News that all hostages had been freed from the hotel... As daylight dawned Saturday, the sound of explosions and gunfire continued to emanate from inside the hotel, and a new fire broke out and raged through parts of the building's lower floors. Indian forces went through the large building room by room in an effort to root out the terrorists, and as the operation came to an end, India's NDTV reported, one terrorist was caught, another was killed and hand grenades and an AK-47 were recovered... The lingering alarm there was a far cry from the broader, fast-evolving massacre that struck India's financial capital late Wednesday night as attacks on 10 locations left at least 150 dead, including as many as six Americans...
Read the full report by Fox News at link below...
Indian Forces End Standoff, Take Back Hotel as Focus Turns to Who Was Behind Mumbai Attacks

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This post is now closed - Look for newer post on these unprecedented terrorist attacks at post above this one. Thank you...
AubreyJ.........

Terrorist Attacks in Mumbai, India

Terrorist Attacks in Mumbai, India
Wednesday, November 26, 2008

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Mumbai, India came under a series of unprecedented, well coordinated terrorist attacks Wednesday evening that left over 80 dead at last count, 240 or more injured and some people were even taken hostage.

Fires broke out from the destruction in several of the high profile targeted areas that included two hotels, the landmark Taj Hotel at the Gateway and the Oberoi Trident Hotel at Nariman Point, the domestic airport at Santa Cruz, the Cama and GT Hospitals, the Metro Adlabs multiplex and the Mazgaon Dockyard.

NDTV.com is reporting that one Briton who escaped the terrorist attack at the five-star Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai Wednesday night was saying the attackers were specifically asking for American and British tourists... Alex Chamberlain, who is working in Mumbai, said the terrorists allowed him to leave along with other diners at the besieged Kandahar restaurant in the Oberoi, now known as the Hotel Trident, after he kept his nationality a secret. (Read more on this story HERE)

It’s also being reported this evening that a little known group calling themselves the ‘Deccan Mujahideen’ is claiming responsibility for the attacks.

More to come...
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* Mumbai Rocked by Deadly Shootings *

Video posted on LiveLeak by DotDotDash
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DoS - U.S. Department of State Press Release follows:
Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Attacks in Mumbai

We strongly condemn the terrorist attacks that have taken place in Mumbai, India. Our sympathies go out to the families and friends of those killed and injured, and to the people of Mumbai.

We are monitoring the situation very closely and stand ready to support the Indian authorities as they deal with this horrific series of attacks. At this point, we are unaware of any American casualties.

Also from DoS this evening...
Consular Calls: Attacks in Mumbai, India
* Americans who have reason to believe that a relative or friend has been affected by the attacks in Mumbai, India should call... 1-888-407-4747
2008/994
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>>> INDIA: Live Video Streams and more
* CNN IBN Live Streaming * IBNLive
* NDTV Live * NDTV.com
* Times Now
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>>> From The Fox Forum at FoxNews.com...
MUMBAI TERROR ATTACKS: A ‘Planned’ Operation Designed to Create Chaos
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More than 100 Held Hostage in Mumbai in Terror Blitz

News Video posted on YouTube by RussiaToday
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.... POST UPDATE:
Thanksgiving Day
Thursday, November 27, 2008
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* CNN.com brings us this report this morning and it starts off like this... Americans and other foreigners were among those caught up in the bloodshed and chaos of the terror attacks in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday and Thursday... At least six foreigners were among the 125 dead, police said. Targets included two luxury hotels, the Oberoi and the Taj Mahal, as well as a cafe popular with Western tourists... A man told a local television station that he was in the Oberoi around 10 p.m. Wednesday when gunmen entered the lobby and began rounding up guests, asking for anyone with a U.S. or British passport and taking about 15 of them hostage... Fire raged at the Oberoi, the scene of much bloodshed as explosions and gunshots rang out Thursday morning. Outside the Taj Mahal, screaming and fighting broke out as reporters scrambled to capture the chaotic scene... Australian filmmaker Anthony Rose told CNN that......
Read the rest at link below...
Terrified Americans describe Mumbai chaos
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* CBS News has the following News Video Report posted on their website this Thanksgiving morning. It’s around 7 minutes long....
* Tragedy In Mumbai *

About New Video: Terrorist attacks across Mumbai, India involved shootings and explosions left over 100 dead and 300 others injured. As Sheila Macvicar reports, terrorists targeted American and British nationals...
News Video Report posted on YouTube by CBS
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* AFP.Google.com brings us this updated report. It was posted on their website, late this Thursday morning, around 11:30am CST...
Indian commandos battled Thursday to end a multiple hostage crisis in Mumbai after Islamic militants killed 125 people across the city and grabbed foreign guests in two luxury hotels... Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the militants had come from "outside the country," while the military official leading the operation to flush them out insisted they were from arch-rival Pakistan... Major General R.K. Hooda told reporters they had "pretended" to be Indian... Pakistan's defence minister denied any involvement... A little more than 24 hours after the attacks began, military officials said special forces had successfully cleared the landmark Taj Mahal Palace hotel of all but one injured gunman... "I think we should be able to mop up the operation very quickly," National Security Guards director general J.K. Dutt told the NDTV news channel... Efforts continued to flush out militants at the Oberoi/Trident hotel and at a separate office-residential complex, housing a Jewish centre...
Read the rest of this report at link below...
Commandos battle Islamist gunmen in Mumbai, over 125 dead
(Above link has lots of photos and more)

.* The Miami Herald - Front age had this article -- with LOTS OF PHOTOS/VIDEOS -- posted on their website this Thursday...
Officials resist laying blame on al Qaeda for attacks in India
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This post is now closed - Look for newer post on these unprecedented terrorist attacks at Post above this one. Thank you...
AubreyJ.........

Indian Navy's Warship INS Tabar Sinks Pirate Vessel Off Somali Coast

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 11:00pm CST
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ZeeNews.com brings us this news early Wednesday morning their time. It starts off like this... Within days of preventing the hijack of an Indian merchant vessel, Indian Navy’s warship INS Tabar, after exchange of fire, sank a pirate vessel off the Somali coast... According to reports, the Indian Navy acted definitively after a group of pirate vessels tried to encircle the Indian warship with the motive to attack it. After a brief exchange of light fire, the warship hit the pirate vessel leading to its sinking. The incident happened at around 9.45 pm Tuesday night. No casualities were reported from the Indian side...

Read this report in full at link below...
Indian Navy sinks pirate vessel off Somali coast

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File photo of Somali Pirates-USN

Back-To-Back Explosions Kill Over 40 And Injured More Than 50 People Saturday Night In India

Back-To-Back Explosions Kill Over 40

Injured More Than 50 People

Saturday Night In India

Saturday, August 25, 2007

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Follow the story at links below...

>>> Canada.com...
Three bombs within minutes, one at a street-side food stall and two in an amusement park, killed at least 38 people in a southern Indian city on Saturday in the latest in a series of attacks on urban centers... More than 70 people were wounded in the blasts in Hyderabad, a city with a history of communal violence, and where nearly a dozen people were killed when a mosque was bombed in May... There was no claim of responsibility...
Bombs kill 38 people in latest Indian city attack

>>> HindustanTimes.com...
Two explosions minutes apart at an amusement park and a popular eating joint in Hyderabad on Saturday evening killed more than 30 people and wounded up to 50. The state government and the Centre blamed terrorists for the blasts...
Terror in Hyderabad: over 30 dead

>>> MeriNews.com...
Two bomb blasts in Hyderabad took place on Saturday evening leaving behind a smoke of terror. The fatal blasts have led to a situation of high tension and a red alert has been declared...
Hyderabad bomb blasts leave the nation terror-struck

>>> FOXNews.com...
A pair of bombings tore through crowded public areas in this southern city Saturday night, one of them destroying one of Hyderabad's most popular family restaurants, killing at least 37 people and wounding about 50, officials said... Security forces were put on alert and thousands of police and paramilitary Rapid Action Force officers were deployed across the city, which has long been plagued by Hindu-Muslim tensions and occasional violence between the two communities... The blasts - one in a park during a laser show, and one in the crowded restaurant - went off minutes apart, officials said...

At Least 37 Killed in Two Bomb Blasts in India

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* UPDATE: Sunday, August 26, 2007 *

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>>> AllHeadlineNews.com...
International terrorists were responsible for two bombings late Saturday that killed at least 44 people and injured more than 100 in the Hyderabad, India, officials said Sunday. Islamist militants from Bangladesh and Pakistan are the chief suspects in the twin bombings in southern India... Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh state Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy told reporters that all the available information suggests the involvement of extremist organization from those two countries.
Update: Islamic Terrorist Organizations Suspected For Twin Bombings In Indian City

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>>> EURONEWS.net has a video news report HERE

>>> Yahoo!News website has this REUTERS news video HERE

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I’ll post more videos up if I can run across them...

AubreyJ.........

Al-Qaeda Video Declares Jihad Against India

Media organizations in Srinagar on Friday received a CD statement supposedly from Al Qaeda stating that the organization is declaring a war on India... The fifteen minute CD showing a man Abu Abdul Rehman Ansari, claims that he is a top Al Qaeda leader. The man appearing in a mask speaks in Arabic and Urdu while announcing ‘Jihad’ (holy war) against India... lashes Hurriyat leaders and United Jihad Council for supporting ongoing peace process in Jammu and Kashmir...
Read the story at NAKnews.co.in

>>> DNAIndia.com has this take on the story that goes in part as follows... Police said they are still examining the video, sent to the local Current News Service, but they have previously denied the existence of Al-Qaeda in Jammu and Kashmir... "It is too early to comment on it. We are examining the CD," a senior police officer said...
Read their full story HERE