26/11 Mumbai Carnage
A Wakeup Call For The Civilised World
By
M.M.Khajooria
It would, to say the least be naïve to look at the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist strike as another round of Indo-Pak proxy conflict The high quality of professionalism evident in the planning, provisioning and execution of this multipronged well crafted commando terrorist operation across the ocean in commendable secrecy sets it apart from the routine acts of terror to which the people in India were accustomed . To the discerning , the 26/11 Mumbai carnage bears unmistakeable signatures of the dreaded Al Queda which was waging war against what it calls the Christian-Zionist-Hindu combine "out to demolish Islam". In fact ,Osama bin Ladin declared war on India for the first time through the 13 April ,2006 audio taps released by Al-Jazeera . It was for the first time that Bin Ladin referred to "a crusaders-Zionist-Hindu war against the Muslims". "It is the duty of the Ummah " he said "with all its categories ,men, women, and youth to give away themselves, money, their experience and all types of material support to establish Jihad," He also lashed out at the USA for pressurizing Pakistan to end cross border terrorism in Kashmir affirming "that it is a Zionist- Hindu war against Muslims". The target selection in Mumbai assault was the sure give away. The 26/11 dastardly assault on India's financial hub Mumbai all the three enemies listed in the tapes were targeted in a single clean composite comprehensive and focussed operation
.
The Jewish ‘Chabad'-,the transit facility in Nariman House was seized and the couple-Rabbi Gavnel Holzberg and his six months pregnant wife Ravka- murdered in cold blood. Moshe ,their only baby boy was saved by the brave and loving Indian maid. He has since been taken to Israelby his grand parents .The Indian maid accompanied the traumatized child. "How can I leave the poor child alone in his hour of tragedy" she told reporters
After forcing entry in the Taj Hotel, the terrorists went straight to the Reception and demanded the passports of the American , British and other foreign citizens accommodated in the hotel. The Leopold Café favoured by the foreign tourists was hit . On the last count 30 foreigners belonging to sixteen countries including UK, USA, France ,Germany, Italy Australia Canada, Jor dan and Israel were slaughtered by the terrorists.
Amongst them were six US citizen .And the US government was legally obliged o investigate th crime and bring the culprits to book .A case had already been registered by he FBI and investigation commenced.
Indians were naturally the prime target, They were attacked in the Chowpati sands (sea beach) where large number of innocent and unsuspecting men , women and children regularly gathered for relaxation and special delicious treats like Bhel-Puri . The round the clock crowded Shivaji central Rail terminus was another terrorist destination . Cama hospital became the scene of martyrdom of five police officers ,ATS chief, Hemant Karkaray, DIG Tiwari and Encounter specialist Karloskar who confronted the terrorists . Before the nine terrorists could be eliminated and one apprehended the gun battles had claimed about 200 hundred dead and three hundred wounded. This included civilian of all nationalities ,policemen, NSG, Navy and army commandos and the hotel staff.
The US secretary of State Condoliza Rice told a press conference in Delhi that "Whether there is a direct Al Qaeda hand or not, this is clearly the kind of terror in which Al Qaeda participates . She just stopped short of naming Al Queda as perpetrators of the Mumbai massacre. She may have diplomatic or tactical reasons for not naming the dreaded terror network but why were the Indians fighting shy of raising a pointed finger on the source of the Global terror that hit us where it hurt most? But if this indeed was an Al Queda operation why is Lashkar-e-Tayyiba being blamed ? There were good and valid reasons to blaming the Lashkar.
Lashkar-e-Taiba, "army of the pure," was promoted more than 20 years ago with the help of Pakistan(country of the pure) intelligence officers as a proxy force to undo Muslim-dominated Kashmir's accession with Hindu dominated India ."This is a group that years ago evolved from having a local and parochial agenda and bought into Al Qaeda's vision," said Bruce Hoffman, a professor and terrorism at Georgetown University who had followed the growth of the Lashkar for several years .According to American officials "Al Qaeda was known to have provided financing and other support to Lashkar in the past. Senior Qaeda figures have used Lashkar safe houses as hide-outs.
The Lashkar commanders operated in the open, behind the public face of a popular charity with the implicit support of official Pakistani patrons .For years, American intelligence analysts have described Lashkar as a group with deadly, yet limited, ambitions in South Asia. But terrorism experts said it clearly had been inspired by the success of Al Qaeda in rallying supporters for a global jihad ? Lashkar fighters were sighted in Afghanistan and Iraq, fighting and killing Americans.
In an article titled "Times Topics: Terrorism in India"of December,7,2008 ,researchers Eric Schmitt, Mark Mazzetti Jane Perlez quoted American intelligence and counter terrorism officials as saying that "Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, the Pakistan-based militant group suspected of conducting the Mumbai attacks, had quietly gained strength in recent years with the help of Pakistan's main spy service, assistance that allowed the group to train and raise money while other militants were under siege.
Director of US National Intelligence Mike McConnell directly blamed Lashkar-i-Tayyaba for the Mumbai attacks, increasing pressure on Pakistan to eliminate the group that the US spy chief said was also responsible for other terrorist attacks inside India. "The same group that we believe is responsible for Mumbai had a similar attack in 2006 on a train and killed a similar number of people," said Mr McConnell, speaking at Harvard University. "Go back to 2001 and it was an attack on the parliament."
Pakistan outlawed the LT after the 2001 attack on the Indian parliament but the ban was not enforced. It was known to the United States that Pakistan had allowed LT and the people associated with it to function under various pseudonyms but opted to look the other way.
The Lashkar was already on the US State Department's list of foreign terrorist organisations, which described it as one of the largest and most dangerous terrorist outfits in South Asia with close links to the Taliban and Al Qaeda. The department also maintained lists of a dozen odd group used by the LT to cover up its true identity .Many US counterterrorism and military officials felt it was necessary to reassess the capability and spread of the Lashkar after the recent assault on Mumbai .They agreed that now posed a much greater threat than previously recognized.
The Al Queda- Lashkar connections go back to nineties. when Osama bin Ladin set up the International Islamic Front for Jihad against Jews and Crusaders( read Christians) sometime n 1998. Lashkar-e- Tayyiba was amongst its founder members. Two other Pak ISI collaborators Harkat-ul Mjahideen, and Harkat ul Jihad –e-Islami likewise participated in the foundation conclave. Even at that time, American investigators had collected a mass of evidence of deep linkage between these anti India terror groups and Al Queda.
The Al Queda organizational structure was strategically fashioned as a global network linked to already existing or contrived indigenous extremist groups .It operated through such affiliates especially in countries where favourable environment for the presence and operations by its own cadres did not exist.
The Queda net work had grown enormously over the years. By now, Its tentacles were spread in South-East Asia through Jemaah Islamiyah etc , the formation of embryonic groups in North Africasuch as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and countless cells of potential terrorists exploiting the power and anonymity of internet technology. In the UK alone the authorities were reported to have detected around 200 separate plots of indiscriminate criminal activity . Even Europe was not free from its infiltration. There were credible reports of recruitment of cadres and establishment of modules in Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Germany .
The MUMBAI attacks demonstrate the professional skills, technological access, acquisition of sophisticated weapons and enormous reach of the Al Queda network .It should serve as the wake up call for the entire civilised world. The global peace , security of citizens, vital economic and military installations and symbols of heritage(remember the vandalisation of Banyan carving inAfghanistan) were under terrorist threat as never before. An axis of evil comprising of AlQueda, its well organised, fully equipped , intensely committed and highly motivated affiliates and its moles, supporters and sympathisers capable of calling he shots in number of countries notably Pakistan were on the prowl. They were frantically striving to upgrade their military prowes through acquiring nuclear capability independent of the Pakistan nuclear arsenal. In fact, the outcome of the ongoing spat between the civilised world and a belligerent, unstable and bankrupt but nuclear Pakistan being pushed by fundamentalist hawks towards military adventurism could very severely impact the future course of the war against terrorism and fundamentalist hegemony.
.
According to a despatch by Anwar Iqbal from Washington dated 21st December' carried by daily Dawn Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of State and Stephen Hadley , National Security Advisor bluntly told the visiting Pakistan National Security Advisor Durrani and Pakisan Ambassador to Washington Haqqani that ‘Global terrorism is not just an India-Pakistan dispute. We see LeT and Jamaat-ud-Dawa at par with al Qaeda. Pakistan should stop thinking of this as just another round of India-Pakistan altercations". The curt message that Mr Durrani and the Pakistani team received from the Americans was: this is not 2002 and you cannot do what President Musharraf did after 9/11. "In the past, you swept everything under the carpet while the problems were allowed to fester. No more" added Iqbal quoting a senior diplomatic source familiar with the talks
.
Through the Mumbai carnage , Al Queda sent a loud and clear message to the USA , its western allies and Israel , " While we prepare to hit targets in your front porches and backyards , we will draw blood of your citizens in other countries. We dare you to protect them ". This warning can be ignored only at the peril of civilised world.
The situation forced both the incumbent and incoming US administrations to take a strong stance against the attacks. The outgoing president made a special appearance on the lawns of the White House . President Bush In his nationally televised address vowed not to allow the terrorists to have the final word ."The killers who struck this week are brutal and violent. But terror will not have the final word," he said. "We pledge the full support of the United States as India investigates these attacks, brings the guilty to justice and sustains its democratic way of life. As the people of the world's largest democracy recover from these attacks, they can count on the people of world's oldest democracy to stand by their side," said Mr Bush.
"The people of India are strong. They have built a vibrant, multiethnic democracy. They can withstand this trial. The leaders of India can know that nations around the world support them in the face of this assault on human dignity," he added.
His successor Barack Obama spoke with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to reiterate Washington's offer of both moral and material support to India." These terrorists who targeted innocent civilians will not defeat India's great democracy, nor shake the will of a global coalition to defeat them," Mr Obama said in a statement issued after his call ."The United States must stand with India and all nations and people who are committed to destroying terrorist networks, and defeating their hate-filled ideology ." he added Those calling shots in Pakistan, were however not impressed
The entire world community was watching with shock and disbelief the antics ofPakistan establishment on a matter of grave concern to them Three vital questions arise here. As the US appeared to be getting nowhere with advise and admonition what would , if any ,be next US move? what would be expected of India when Pakistan establishment stubbornly refused to either demolish terrorist training facilities on her soil or handover the perpetrators of terrorism despite evidence supplied by India and the USA ? India was morally and legally obliged to apprehend and put on trial all those responsible for acts of terrorism on her soil , slaughtering of her non combatant citizens and innocent visitors from other countries. Surely no one repeat no one had the right to expect a country of the size, economic strength and military power of India to meekly surrender before an enemy who was working on a strategy to bleed her through thousand cuts ? lastly , when would the civilised world wake up to the enormity and immediacy of dangers posed to its very survival by the Pan Islamic terror machine?
A Wakeup Call For The Civilised World
By
M.M.Khajooria
It would, to say the least be naïve to look at the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist strike as another round of Indo-Pak proxy conflict The high quality of professionalism evident in the planning, provisioning and execution of this multipronged well crafted commando terrorist operation across the ocean in commendable secrecy sets it apart from the routine acts of terror to which the people in India were accustomed . To the discerning , the 26/11 Mumbai carnage bears unmistakeable signatures of the dreaded Al Queda which was waging war against what it calls the Christian-Zionist-Hindu combine "out to demolish Islam". In fact ,Osama bin Ladin declared war on India for the first time through the 13 April ,2006 audio taps released by Al-Jazeera . It was for the first time that Bin Ladin referred to "a crusaders-Zionist-Hindu war against the Muslims". "It is the duty of the Ummah " he said "with all its categories ,men, women, and youth to give away themselves, money, their experience and all types of material support to establish Jihad," He also lashed out at the USA for pressurizing Pakistan to end cross border terrorism in Kashmir affirming "that it is a Zionist- Hindu war against Muslims". The target selection in Mumbai assault was the sure give away. The 26/11 dastardly assault on India's financial hub Mumbai all the three enemies listed in the tapes were targeted in a single clean composite comprehensive and focussed operation
.
The Jewish ‘Chabad'-,the transit facility in Nariman House was seized and the couple-Rabbi Gavnel Holzberg and his six months pregnant wife Ravka- murdered in cold blood. Moshe ,their only baby boy was saved by the brave and loving Indian maid. He has since been taken to Israelby his grand parents .The Indian maid accompanied the traumatized child. "How can I leave the poor child alone in his hour of tragedy" she told reporters
After forcing entry in the Taj Hotel, the terrorists went straight to the Reception and demanded the passports of the American , British and other foreign citizens accommodated in the hotel. The Leopold Café favoured by the foreign tourists was hit . On the last count 30 foreigners belonging to sixteen countries including UK, USA, France ,Germany, Italy Australia Canada, Jor dan and Israel were slaughtered by the terrorists.
Amongst them were six US citizen .And the US government was legally obliged o investigate th crime and bring the culprits to book .A case had already been registered by he FBI and investigation commenced.
Indians were naturally the prime target, They were attacked in the Chowpati sands (sea beach) where large number of innocent and unsuspecting men , women and children regularly gathered for relaxation and special delicious treats like Bhel-Puri . The round the clock crowded Shivaji central Rail terminus was another terrorist destination . Cama hospital became the scene of martyrdom of five police officers ,ATS chief, Hemant Karkaray, DIG Tiwari and Encounter specialist Karloskar who confronted the terrorists . Before the nine terrorists could be eliminated and one apprehended the gun battles had claimed about 200 hundred dead and three hundred wounded. This included civilian of all nationalities ,policemen, NSG, Navy and army commandos and the hotel staff.
The US secretary of State Condoliza Rice told a press conference in Delhi that "Whether there is a direct Al Qaeda hand or not, this is clearly the kind of terror in which Al Qaeda participates . She just stopped short of naming Al Queda as perpetrators of the Mumbai massacre. She may have diplomatic or tactical reasons for not naming the dreaded terror network but why were the Indians fighting shy of raising a pointed finger on the source of the Global terror that hit us where it hurt most? But if this indeed was an Al Queda operation why is Lashkar-e-Tayyiba being blamed ? There were good and valid reasons to blaming the Lashkar.
Lashkar-e-Taiba, "army of the pure," was promoted more than 20 years ago with the help of Pakistan(country of the pure) intelligence officers as a proxy force to undo Muslim-dominated Kashmir's accession with Hindu dominated India ."This is a group that years ago evolved from having a local and parochial agenda and bought into Al Qaeda's vision," said Bruce Hoffman, a professor and terrorism at Georgetown University who had followed the growth of the Lashkar for several years .According to American officials "Al Qaeda was known to have provided financing and other support to Lashkar in the past. Senior Qaeda figures have used Lashkar safe houses as hide-outs.
The Lashkar commanders operated in the open, behind the public face of a popular charity with the implicit support of official Pakistani patrons .For years, American intelligence analysts have described Lashkar as a group with deadly, yet limited, ambitions in South Asia. But terrorism experts said it clearly had been inspired by the success of Al Qaeda in rallying supporters for a global jihad ? Lashkar fighters were sighted in Afghanistan and Iraq, fighting and killing Americans.
In an article titled "Times Topics: Terrorism in India"of December,7,2008 ,researchers Eric Schmitt, Mark Mazzetti Jane Perlez quoted American intelligence and counter terrorism officials as saying that "Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, the Pakistan-based militant group suspected of conducting the Mumbai attacks, had quietly gained strength in recent years with the help of Pakistan's main spy service, assistance that allowed the group to train and raise money while other militants were under siege.
Director of US National Intelligence Mike McConnell directly blamed Lashkar-i-Tayyaba for the Mumbai attacks, increasing pressure on Pakistan to eliminate the group that the US spy chief said was also responsible for other terrorist attacks inside India. "The same group that we believe is responsible for Mumbai had a similar attack in 2006 on a train and killed a similar number of people," said Mr McConnell, speaking at Harvard University. "Go back to 2001 and it was an attack on the parliament."
Pakistan outlawed the LT after the 2001 attack on the Indian parliament but the ban was not enforced. It was known to the United States that Pakistan had allowed LT and the people associated with it to function under various pseudonyms but opted to look the other way.
The Lashkar was already on the US State Department's list of foreign terrorist organisations, which described it as one of the largest and most dangerous terrorist outfits in South Asia with close links to the Taliban and Al Qaeda. The department also maintained lists of a dozen odd group used by the LT to cover up its true identity .Many US counterterrorism and military officials felt it was necessary to reassess the capability and spread of the Lashkar after the recent assault on Mumbai .They agreed that now posed a much greater threat than previously recognized.
The Al Queda- Lashkar connections go back to nineties. when Osama bin Ladin set up the International Islamic Front for Jihad against Jews and Crusaders( read Christians) sometime n 1998. Lashkar-e- Tayyiba was amongst its founder members. Two other Pak ISI collaborators Harkat-ul Mjahideen, and Harkat ul Jihad –e-Islami likewise participated in the foundation conclave. Even at that time, American investigators had collected a mass of evidence of deep linkage between these anti India terror groups and Al Queda.
The Al Queda organizational structure was strategically fashioned as a global network linked to already existing or contrived indigenous extremist groups .It operated through such affiliates especially in countries where favourable environment for the presence and operations by its own cadres did not exist.
The Queda net work had grown enormously over the years. By now, Its tentacles were spread in South-East Asia through Jemaah Islamiyah etc , the formation of embryonic groups in North Africasuch as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and countless cells of potential terrorists exploiting the power and anonymity of internet technology. In the UK alone the authorities were reported to have detected around 200 separate plots of indiscriminate criminal activity . Even Europe was not free from its infiltration. There were credible reports of recruitment of cadres and establishment of modules in Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Germany .
The MUMBAI attacks demonstrate the professional skills, technological access, acquisition of sophisticated weapons and enormous reach of the Al Queda network .It should serve as the wake up call for the entire civilised world. The global peace , security of citizens, vital economic and military installations and symbols of heritage(remember the vandalisation of Banyan carving inAfghanistan) were under terrorist threat as never before. An axis of evil comprising of AlQueda, its well organised, fully equipped , intensely committed and highly motivated affiliates and its moles, supporters and sympathisers capable of calling he shots in number of countries notably Pakistan were on the prowl. They were frantically striving to upgrade their military prowes through acquiring nuclear capability independent of the Pakistan nuclear arsenal. In fact, the outcome of the ongoing spat between the civilised world and a belligerent, unstable and bankrupt but nuclear Pakistan being pushed by fundamentalist hawks towards military adventurism could very severely impact the future course of the war against terrorism and fundamentalist hegemony.
.
According to a despatch by Anwar Iqbal from Washington dated 21st December' carried by daily Dawn Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of State and Stephen Hadley , National Security Advisor bluntly told the visiting Pakistan National Security Advisor Durrani and Pakisan Ambassador to Washington Haqqani that ‘Global terrorism is not just an India-Pakistan dispute. We see LeT and Jamaat-ud-Dawa at par with al Qaeda. Pakistan should stop thinking of this as just another round of India-Pakistan altercations". The curt message that Mr Durrani and the Pakistani team received from the Americans was: this is not 2002 and you cannot do what President Musharraf did after 9/11. "In the past, you swept everything under the carpet while the problems were allowed to fester. No more" added Iqbal quoting a senior diplomatic source familiar with the talks
.
Through the Mumbai carnage , Al Queda sent a loud and clear message to the USA , its western allies and Israel , " While we prepare to hit targets in your front porches and backyards , we will draw blood of your citizens in other countries. We dare you to protect them ". This warning can be ignored only at the peril of civilised world.
The situation forced both the incumbent and incoming US administrations to take a strong stance against the attacks. The outgoing president made a special appearance on the lawns of the White House . President Bush In his nationally televised address vowed not to allow the terrorists to have the final word ."The killers who struck this week are brutal and violent. But terror will not have the final word," he said. "We pledge the full support of the United States as India investigates these attacks, brings the guilty to justice and sustains its democratic way of life. As the people of the world's largest democracy recover from these attacks, they can count on the people of world's oldest democracy to stand by their side," said Mr Bush.
"The people of India are strong. They have built a vibrant, multiethnic democracy. They can withstand this trial. The leaders of India can know that nations around the world support them in the face of this assault on human dignity," he added.
His successor Barack Obama spoke with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to reiterate Washington's offer of both moral and material support to India." These terrorists who targeted innocent civilians will not defeat India's great democracy, nor shake the will of a global coalition to defeat them," Mr Obama said in a statement issued after his call ."The United States must stand with India and all nations and people who are committed to destroying terrorist networks, and defeating their hate-filled ideology ." he added Those calling shots in Pakistan, were however not impressed
The entire world community was watching with shock and disbelief the antics ofPakistan establishment on a matter of grave concern to them Three vital questions arise here. As the US appeared to be getting nowhere with advise and admonition what would , if any ,be next US move? what would be expected of India when Pakistan establishment stubbornly refused to either demolish terrorist training facilities on her soil or handover the perpetrators of terrorism despite evidence supplied by India and the USA ? India was morally and legally obliged to apprehend and put on trial all those responsible for acts of terrorism on her soil , slaughtering of her non combatant citizens and innocent visitors from other countries. Surely no one repeat no one had the right to expect a country of the size, economic strength and military power of India to meekly surrender before an enemy who was working on a strategy to bleed her through thousand cuts ? lastly , when would the civilised world wake up to the enormity and immediacy of dangers posed to its very survival by the Pan Islamic terror machine?
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