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