15 years of 26/11 : Remembering the Mumbai terror attack
15 years of 26/11 : Remembering the Mumbai terror attack
The Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks were as groundbreaking in the annals of terrorism as the US attacks of 9/11. While passenger planes were used as weapons of mass destruction for the first time on September 11, 2001, the Mumbai attacks saw the first instance of live operational control of terrorist acts from outside the country.
The Attack
On the evening of November 26, 2008, terrorists belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group had made their way into Mumbai. They inflicted 300 injuries and killed 166 people.
The targets—the Taj and Oberoi Hotels, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the Jewish center at Nariman House, and the Leopold Cafe—were carefully selected following a survey to ensure maximum impact. These locations were frequented by Europeans, Indians, and Jews.
Here is a timeline of the attack:
· 21th November 2008 – A boat carrying ten terrorists leaves Karachi, Pakistan, and travels unnoticed by the Indian Navy for about thirty-eight hours.
· 22nd November 2008 – Six or seven magazines containing thirty rounds each are given to each of the ten men, in addition to 400 rounds that are not loaded into magazines. In addition, they have a supply of dried fruits, credit cards, an automatic loading revolver, an AK-47 assault rifle, and eight hand grenades.
· 23rd November 2008 – Four fishermen are killed when terrorists take over the Indian trawler Kuber. The captain is forced to sail in the direction of India.
· 26th November 2008 – The boat docks in Mumbai’s Cuffe Parade neighborhood at Macchimar Nagar at 8:10 p.m. Here, six of the terrorists disembark, the others continuing to sail along the shore. When locals inquire about their occupation, they respond that they are students. Another group disembarks at Colaba’s Badhwar Park, Cuffe Parade, at 8.30 p.m. When fishermen who speak Marathi approach them, they tell them to mind their own business and then disperse and go in different directions. Ten people were reportedly killed and numerous others injured at Leopold Cafe. Additionally, they detonated bombs in two taxis, which resulted in five fatalities and fifteen injuries. An additional two attackers, Ajmal Kasab and Ismail, take a taxi to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), while four attackers enter the Taj Mahal Hotel, two enter the Oberoi Trident, and two slip into Nariman House. With AK-47 and AK74U rifles in hand, Kasab and Ismail launched an attack at CSMT at 09.20 pm, killing 58 and wounding 104 with gunfire and grenade attacks.
The Counter-Attack & Catching of Terrorists
On 26th November 2008, Kasab and Ismail left for Cama Hospital at 10.30 p.m. When hospital employees notice a patient approaching, they lock their room. In an altercation, three officers and ATS chief Hemant Karkare are slain. The terrorists take over a jeep, but the Gamdevi police stop them close to Girgaum Chowpatty. Kasab is taken into custody and Ismail is killed.
On November 28, 24 bodies were found and 143 hostages were freed following the conclusion of commando operations at the Oberoi Hotel. They eliminate two terrorists.
NSG commandos are fast-roped onto Nariman House’s roof at 7:30 a.m. and snipers are positioned in surrounding buildings to prevent attacks on the commandos.
At 7:30 p.m., the commandos find that the terrorists have tortured and killed all six of the hostages, including the rabbi and his wife.
At 8.30 p.m., commandos opened fire in a determined battle, killing the two terrorists and announcing the end of the Nariman House operation.
On 29th November, despite continuous room-to-room searches, commandos declare control of the Taj Hotel at 8:00 a.m. There’s a wild party in the streets.
The Taj Mahal Hotel is said to be fully under government control at 4:20 p.m.
Remembering the day after 15 years
To pay tribute to all the people who lost their lives in the 26/11 terrorist attack, in his 107th episode of “Mann ki Baat,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi honored the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai on Sunday, the 15th anniversary of the incident. The prime minister described the incident as the “most dastardly terror attack” and stated that no one can ever forget this day, November 26. The nation had suffered the most heinous act of terror on this exact day.
In memory of the police officers and jawans who were martyred in the terrorist attack on Mumbai on 26/11/2008, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde paid tribute by offering a wreath at the Police Memorial erected in the premises of the Mumbai Police Commissioner’s office. He also paid emotional tributes to these martyrs.
As posted on CM Eknath Shinde’s X handle, Governor Ramesh Bais, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Mumbai Guardian Minister Deepak Kesarkar, Mumbai Suburbs Guardian Minister Mangalprabhat Lodha, Director General of Police Rajnish Sheth and Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar were present on this occasion.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar took it to X “It is 15 years today since the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Our quest to bring those responsible for planning and executing these horrific acts to justice continues.”
