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Fighting goes on as death toll climbs past 150
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-29 08:40 MUMBAI -- Indian commandos who stormed the headquarters of an ultra-orthodox Jewish group in Mumbai found the bodies of five hostages inside, as a fresh battle raged at the luxury Taj Mahal hotel and other Indian forces ended a siege at another five-star hotel.
More than 150 people have been killed since gunmen attacked 10 sites across India's financial capital starting Wednesday night, including 22 foreigners - two of them Americans, officials said. Early Friday night, Indian commandos emerged from a besieged Jewish center with rifles raised in an apparent sign of victory after a daylong siege that saw a team rappel from helicopters and a series of explosions and fire rock the building and blow gaping holes in the wall. Inside, though, were five dead hostages. By Friday evening, at least nine gunmen had been killed, one had been arrested and as many as six were still in the Taj Mahal, R. Patil, a top official in Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital, said. After hours of intermittent gunfire and explosions at the Taj Mahal hotel on Friday, the battle heated up at dusk when Indian forces began launching grenades at the hotel, where at least one militant was believed to be holed up inside a ballroom, officials said. Commandos had killed the two last gunmen inside the nearby Oberoi hotel earlier in the day. "The hotel is under our control," J. K. Dutt, director-general of India's elite National Security Guard commando unit, told reporters, adding that 24 bodies had been found. Dozens of people had been evacuated from the Oberoi earlier on Friday. The group rescued from the Oberoi, many holding passports, included at least two Americans, a Briton, two Japanese and several Indians. About 20 airline crew members were freed, including staff from Lufthansa and Air France. The well-coordinated strikes by small bands of gunmen starting Wednesday night left the city shell-shocked. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday blamed "external forces" for the violence. On Friday, India's foreign minister ratcheted up the accusations over the attacks. "According to preliminary information, some elements in Pakistan are responsible for the Mumbai terror attacks," Pranab Mukherjee told reporters in the western city of Jodhpur. "Proof cannot be disclosed at this time," he said, adding that Pakistan had assured New Delhi it would not allow its territory to be used for attacks against India. Earlier on Friday, Pakistan's Defense Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, in Islamabad, denied involvement by his country: "I will say in very categorical terms that Pakistan is not involved in these gory incidents." The US State Department said on Friday two Americans were among those killed in the attacks by militants in Mumbai. Spokesman Gordon Duguid said the department had notified the families of the victims. He did not give details or identify the dead Americans. Earlier, a group called the Synchronicity Foundation said two Americans who were in India as part of a mediation program had died in the attacks. The Synchronicity Foundation said in a statement on its website that Alan Scherr and his 13-year-old daughter Naomi were killed. It gave no details about how they were killed but said Scherr and his family had been involved in the Synchronicity community in Faber, Virginia, for more than a decade. Indian officials have said at least 150 people have beenkilled in the two-day standoff. Media reports said the group that led the assault on India's financial capital seemed to be seeking out Westerners. Agencies - China Daily |
